News Broadcasting
Viacom to tap Internet radio through Infinity Broadcasting
MUMBAI: Viacom’s radio initiative Infinity Broadcasting has announced it would make available streaming audio of 11 of its leading news and news-talk stations from 14 March onwards.
The all-news stations to be streamed include 1010 WINS (New York), KFWB-AM (Los Angeles), KNX-AM (Los Angeles), WBBM-AM (Chicago), KCBS-AM (San Francisco) KYW-AM (Philadelphia), WBZ-AM (Boston), and WWJ-AM (Detroit). Legendary news-talk stations KMOX-AM (St. Louis), KDKA-AM (Pittsburgh) and KRLD-AM (Dallas) will also be available via their station websites. Infinity’s other all-news station, WCBS-AM, was previously launched online last December, says an official release.
Making the announcement, Infinity chairman & CEO Joel Hollander said, “The millions of people who tune in to our radio stations are increasingly looking for alternative ways to receive the information vital to their everyday lives. And as more and more listening is being done away from home and the car, we must extend our stations beyond their dial positions to meet the needs of the consumer. We believe streaming our stations online will not only exceed their expectations, but will also create an outlet with which we can target a larger audience and increase time spent listening.”
A survey conducted by Arbitron Inc. and Edison Media Research says Internet radio currently attracts 19 million U.S. listeners each week. This was 11 million in 2001.
News Corp has been seriously looking at the convergence possibilities of Internet in the recent times. Though its Internet operations had received a setback in the 1990s, the company is now finding the time far more appropriate to explore the Web. The new development follows a top-level meeting News Corp chairman Rupert Murdoch convened last Wednesday in New York to plan an Internet strategy for the global media company.
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.
