News Broadcasting
Zee Media names Madhu Soman as chief business officer of Wion
Mumbai: With extensive experience in media, Madhu Soman is ready for his new stint at Zee Media as the new Chief Business Officer of its Wion TV channel. Having over 25 years of experience, he will drive the growth of Wion, mushroom it and provide selling solutions to the broadcaster.
Wion is happy to welcome Soman on its board for his knowledge and leadership skills, further supporting the channel to achieve greater heights. He worked with Bloomberg in Hong Kong as head of broadcast sales and as managing editor of Thomson Reuters where he was spearheading the video services. Soman was associated with Reuters as a journalist for 14 years. In the past, he has also worked with companies such as Spectranet, ANI and BiTV. With his high proficiency in journalism, Soman will aggressively support the editorial and business segment of the venture.
Zee Media president – group strategy and innovation Bibek Agarwala said, “WION has always focused on imparting unbiased news to the audience. I am pleased to welcome a leader like Madhu Soman, who brings years of experience in journalism, diverse expertise in managing business. Under his guidance, we are ready to scale new heights. Zee Media has grown from strength to strength and is set to deliver the best content to the audience.”
Madhu Soman said, “It’s an exciting opportunity to join a young and daring team of seasoned professionals. I eagerly look forward to leading the business team and extending my expertise to the editorial team to connect the dots, contextualize and bring out in-depth analysis of national and global issues.”
Madhu Soman is an Alumnus of Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Symbiosis International University and Kerala University.
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.
