News Broadcasting
VLCC’s Vandana Luthra invests in NDTV’s Smartcooky.com
MUMBAI: VLCC founder Vandana Luthra has invested an undisclosed amount in NDTV’s e-commerce platform Smartcooky.com.
The company has previously raised funds from multiple investors, which values the startup at $12 million.
The platform will sell healthy foods and personal care products across the country and is based on the network’s current food website,www.food.ndtv.com. The funding for the platform, which claims to have over three million unique visitors a month, has come through NDTV’s subsidiary SmartCooky Internet Limited.
The new content site will help in making healthy choices in the daily life by offering a well chosen selection of quality products.
Speaking on the investment, NDTV Group executive co-chairperson Dr. Prannoy Roy said, “We are delighted to have Mrs. Vandana Luthra, a pioneer in the field of wellness, as an investor in Smartcooky. We see this alliance as a strategic one, where both parties are bound to gain.”
On this new deal, Smartcooky director Seema Chandra added, “We are very pleased to have Mrs. Luthra as our investor, as she brings on board a wealth of knowledge about the well ness space from a global perspective and would give SmartCooky a strategic edge in this high growth market. She will join the other marquee investors on Smartcooky and mentor the business as we move a long.”
Luthra said, “The health and wellness industry is growing rapidly and is very dynamic. Having been in the industry for 26 years, I believe that there is a need for such a platform, which can inform on and deliver quality health and wellness products to consumers and further grow the market. I look forward to working with the Smartcooky team and wish them the very best.”
“Baseline is delighted to facilitate Mrs. Vandana Luthra’s association with the Smartcooky venture of NDTV. Mrs. Luthra has revolutionised the concept of wellness in our country and with her coming on board of this exciting new venture of NDTV, it will surely be a great symbiotic relationship between them,” voiced NDTV’s online wedding market Baseline Ventures MD Tuhin Mishra.
Smartcooky’s other investors include Google VP and MD South East Asia and India Rajan Anandan, Genpact former president and CEO Pramod Bhasin, Manipal Group Education chairman Siddarth Pai and Unilever executive board member Manvinder Singh Banga.
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.
