News Broadcasting
Vivek Khanna becomes Group CEO at India Today
NEW DELHI: Vivek Khanna, former chief executive officer of Hindustan Media Ventures, has come on board the India Today Group as its Group CEO. He will report to vice chairperson Kalli Purie, who recently announced the growth of the group by launching seven mobile channels.
The news was announced to the employees by group chairman and editor-in-chief Aroon Purie in an internal communication this morning: “I am excited about Vivek joining us. With his background plus track record and our bench strength, I am confident he will bring structure, process discipline and marketing muscle to our creative genius so we can scale new heights. In all of you, I know I have the best team in the industry which makes me so proud. Now with the new leadership in place, I look forward to a year of exponential growth.”
Purie added that “Apart from his strategic thinking and marketing expertise, I have selected Vivek because he is a ‘people’ person. He has an inclusive style of leadership, works hard and with passion, is goal oriented, pays attention to details, and builds teams. He believes that the right person in the right job is the only formula for good decisions, growth, and organisational success. Like me, Vivek leads from the trenches. He is known for personally going out to close partnerships and service clients.”
Vivek comes with 26 years of solid experience in strategy, sales, and marketing. An alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad, Vivek began his career with Hindustan Unilever and Aviva Life Insurance. He moved to HT Media in 2008. Since 2013, he has been the CEO of Hindustan Media Ventures.
Aroon Purie said Vivek’s most impressive accomplishments include the turnaround of HT products and brands. Last year, Hindustan Media Ventures was ranked amongst the top five fastest growing listed companies in India. He grew the advertising revenue of Hindustan by 14 per cent between 2013 and 2016; this was 4-10 per cent faster than competition.
Operating EBITDA grew at more than 30 per cent per annum in this period. Circulation of the newspaper increased by over 30 per cent. The top line increased from Rs 6 billion to Rs 10 billion and the company’s market cap doubled to over Rs 20 billion.
Also Read:
India Today launches 7 mobile-specific niche channels
India Today’s Purie says new vice chairperson Kalli has ability to straddle edit and biz functions
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.
