News Broadcasting
Zee News Ltd Q2 net up 18% to Rs 70 mn
MUMBAI: Zee News Limited’s (ZNL) consolidated net profit rose 18.2 per cent to Rs 70.2 million in the second quarter ended 30 September from a year earlier on the back of a 39.1 per cent rise in subscription revenues which more than offset a 9.7 per cent fall in its advertising revenue.
ZNL, which had decided to reduce its advertisement air time by 30 per cent beginning in the first quarter, has seen its advertising revenue come down to Rs 439.2 million in the second quarter from Rs 486.5 million a year earlier.
The news network’s subscription revenue increased to Rs 222.6 million from Rs 160.1 million a year earlier. In the first quarter, ZNL’s subscription income was Rs 176 million.
ZNL’s consolidated revenues for the quarter fell 11.6 per cent to Rs 700.3 million from Rs 792.6 million in the year before period. The company’s operating expenditure fell 12.4 per cent during the quarter to Rs 621.7 million from Rs 709.4 million a year earlier.
Consolidated Ebitda stood at Rs 78.6 million in the second quarter compared with Rs 83.2 million a year earlier.
The company said it has established a wholly owned subsidiary in the name of 24 Ghantalu News Ltd for housing its Telugu News channel ‘Zee 24 Gantalu’ and has invested initial capital of Rs 0.5 million in the subsidiary.
Earlier the company had decided to shutter Zee 24 Gantalu citing economic unviability as the reason.
ZNL MD Punit Goenka said, “The media industry continued to face slowdown issues in the second quarter especially in the months of July and August. ZNL always has had subscription revenue stream supplementing the ad revenues which helps the company counter any slowdown in the advertising industry. However, we expect that the advertising would be quite buoyant in the coming quarters.”
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to host Kolkata Town Hall on Hooghly River
‘Bhalobasa Bengal Inspiring Bharat’ event on April 20 brings cultural icons, trailblazing women and leaders aboard a cruise to celebrate Bengal’s enduring influence.
MUMBAI: Bengal is about to make fresh waves on the Hooghly and this time the current is pure conversation. CNN-News18 is taking its iconic Town Hall format to the waters of the iconic Hooghly River on 20 April 2026 with a special edition titled ‘Bhalobasa Bengal – Inspiring Bharat’. The floating event will celebrate the state’s rich cultural legacy and how its ideas, creativity and spirit continue to shape the rest of the country.
The unique riverside setting draws on Bengal’s history as a cradle of reform, art and intellectual thought. The speaker line-up mirrors that diversity: cultural heavyweights Mithun Chakraborty and Sreenanda Shankar will share the stage with trailblazing “Devis” such as Tanya Sanyal (India’s first woman firefighter in aviation), Ipsita Chakraborty (Kolkata’s first woman bartender) and Reshma Nilofer Visalakshi (Nari Shakti awardee and marine pilot). Music will flow through the celebrated pianist-vocalist duo Sourendro and Soumyojit, while public life and governance will be represented by Smriti Irani, Leander Paes, Saira Shah Halim, Keya Ghosh, Rekha Patra, Roopa Ganguly and Babul Supriyo.
CNN-News18, editorial affairs director, Rahul Shivshankar, said the event honours voices that carry Bengal’s legacy forward. Smriti Mehra, CEO – English & Business News, Network18, added that Bengal’s stories resonate far beyond its borders, especially as the state heads into polls.
From the first woman to battle flames in the skies to legendary actors who shaped Indian cinema, the gathering promises a rich mix of inspiration, courage and candid dialogue. In a city where culture has always flowed as freely as the river itself, CNN-News18 is turning the Hooghly into a floating forum for ideas that matter.
Tune in on 20 April on CNN-News18, CTV and YouTube to catch Bengal’s heartbeat in full flow.
