News Broadcasting
Zee Media appoints Manish Seth as chief revenue officer
NEW DELHI: Zee Media has brought in Manish Seth as chief revenue officer, banking on his track record of doubling digital revenues to power the broadcaster’s next growth phase.
Seth joins with immediate effect from 28 October, the company told stock exchanges on Monday. The appointment, approved by the board on the recommendation of the nomination and remuneration committee, designates him as senior management personnel under India’s listing regulations.
The new chief revenue officer arrives with a formidable reputation. At TV9 Network, where he most recently served as revenue head for digital and business head for Money9, Seth doubled digital revenues in just two years. He also pioneered integrated television and digital sales models that broke new ground in Indian media.
Before TV9, Seth spent years at Zee Unimedia, Zee Media and Bennett Coleman, consistently delivering double-digit growth and launching multiple channels and products. His expertise spans revenue strategy, sales transformation, go-to-market planning and profit-and-loss management across broadcast and digital platforms.
Seth holds a postgraduate diploma in marketing management from the Times School of Marketing and a bachelor’s degree in science from Delhi University.
Zee Media is betting that Seth’s digital chops and proven ability to build high-performing teams will accelerate its transformation at a time when traditional broadcasters are scrambling to capture online audiences and advertising rupees. With 25 years of trench warfare in media sales under his belt, Seth now has the mandate to write the next chapter of Zee Media’s revenue story.
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.
