News Broadcasting
TV9 promotes political editor to managing editor’s job
NEW DELHI: Associated Broadcasting Co, which operates the TV9 network, has elevated Kartikeya Sharma to managing editor, handing the political journalist control of its newsroom after he spent the past two years climbing the ranks at rival News9 Broadcast TV.
Sharma, who joined News9 as deputy managing editor in July 2023, has boomeranged back to TV9, where he previously served as executive editor from March 2021 to July 2023. During that earlier stint, he anchored “Siyasat kee baat” and oversaw News9plus, billed as India’s first news-based streaming platform, whilst managing its podcast operation.
The 26-year veteran of Indian journalism cut his teeth as a sub-editor at The Asian Age in 1998 before moving through NDTV, The Week magazine, and two separate tours at India Today—where he rose from special correspondent to political editor over nearly a decade. He also logged time as chief political correspondent at News 24 and executive editor at NewsX, where he ran bureaus and occasionally helmed the channel.
His longest stretch came at Wion, Zee Network’s international news outfit, where he juggled dual roles as political editor and output editor from 2016 to 2021. The job sent him chasing stories across Myanmar, Syria, Congo, Vladivostok, Israel, Turkey and Indonesia—a globetrotting cv that included covering Japan’s tsunami and the bombing of India’s Kabul embassy.
Now back at TV9, Sharma faces the unenviable task of keeping viewers glued to linear television whilst everyone else pivots to streaming. Good luck with that.
News Broadcasting
Network18 Q4 revenue grows 9.7 per cent, EBITDA at Rs 30 crore
PAT improves to Rs 306.6 crore, margins steady amid cost pressures.
MUMBAI: Not all news is breaking, some of it is quietly improving. Network18 Media & Investments Limited appears to be doing just that, tightening losses and stabilising margins even as costs continue to weigh on the business. For FY26, the company reported revenue from operations of Rs 1,955.1 crore, up from Rs 1,896.2 crore in FY25, signalling modest top-line growth in a challenging media environment. Total income stood at Rs 1,978.2 crore, compared to Rs 1,913 crore a year earlier.
Profit after tax came in at Rs 306.6 crore for the year, a sharp turnaround from Rs 3,225.4 crore in FY25, largely reflecting the absence of large exceptional items that had inflated the previous year’s numbers. On a more comparable basis, the company’s operating performance showed signs of gradual stabilisation.
However, the quarterly picture remained under pressure. For the March quarter, Network18 reported a loss of Rs 53.1 crore, narrower than the Rs 98.1 crore loss in the same period last year, but still indicative of ongoing cost challenges.
Expenses continued to track high. Total expenses for FY26 stood at Rs 2,235.7 crore, up from Rs 2,197.8 crore in FY25. Key cost heads included operational expenses of Rs 765.9 crore, employee benefits of Rs 475.9 crore, and marketing, distribution and promotional spends of Rs 427.1 crore, underlining the continued investment required to sustain reach and engagement.
At an operating level, margins remained under strain. Operating margin stood at 2.33 per cent for FY26, marginally higher than 1.77 per cent in FY25, while net profit margin remained negative at -13.02 per cent, though improved from -14.89 per cent.
On the balance sheet, total assets rose to Rs 8,957.6 crore as of 31 March 2026, from Rs 8,317.5 crore a year earlier. Equity strengthened to Rs 4,958.7 crore, while borrowings increased to Rs 3,112.8 crore, reflecting a higher reliance on debt to support operations.
Cash flows told a mixed story. While financing activities generated Rs 83.9 crore, operating cash flow remained negative at Rs -24 crore, highlighting ongoing pressure on core cash generation. Cash and cash equivalents, however, improved to Rs 33.9 crore from Rs 1.8 crore.
The numbers point to a company in transition growing revenues, trimming losses, but still grappling with structural cost pressures. In a sector where scale often comes at a price, Network18 seems to be inching towards balance, one quarter at a time.
