News Broadcasting
CNBC-TV18 steals a march over the rest, this Union Budget with its remarkable marketing initiatives
MUMBAI: With an aim to stay ahead of other brands, CNBC-TV18, India’s leading business news platform conceptualized and executed a host of marketing initiatives communicated via Brand partnership, Outdoor innovation and Social media campaigns. Laying impetus on constantly innovating and evolving themselves to resonate with today’s well-informed audiences, the channel has not only grabbed the audience’s attention by offering them content that is authentic and comes with industry perspective, but have once again cemented their position as one of the most-reliable names/leaders in the business and finance sector.
One of their ground-breaking activities see them in a brand partnership with the hospitality chain Socials café, where they have ingeniously positioned CNBC-TV18 as the headquarters for the Union Budget. This activity sees them place swatch tags on the food tables across metros, with contextual messaging co-relating the Budget to eating out. Some of the messages read as “Understand how Budget 2020 will impact your restaurant bills” and “How will Budget 2020 will impact your social plans”.
The brand has put its best foot forward in their outdoor advertising campaigns as their OOH hoardings exemplify the brand’s ethos of always having something creative to offer. The innovative campaign has billboards based on icons. The icons indicating various products and services turned green (cheaper) and red (costlier) – alternatively ahead of the Budget building curiosity on the potential implication on the pricing of these goods/services.
In an attempt to connect with the millennial audience, the social media campaign was simple and direct to the point. With a creative message that defines how this Budget is expected to impact the consumer, the brand enlightens its viewers on its gravitas. The set of interesting creatives depicts that Union Budget commands your discretionary spends and lifestyle choices. One such creative simplifies the concept by comparing an international holiday to a local one.
Network18 English Business News Cluster CEO Basant Dhawan said, “In a bid to stay relevant to ever-evolving consumers, we have come up with these unique initiatives. Keeping consumers at the center of the Union Budget, we intend to help them understand the implications of the Union Budget in their daily lives. These initiatives will help re-emphasize CNBC-TV18 as India’s Budget Headquarters.”
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.
