News Broadcasting
Esha Media Q1 net profit swells to Rs 62.14 lakhs on revenue rise from web-monitoring solutions
MUMBAI: India’s premier media monitoring agency – Esha Media Research Ltd has posted a robust rise in Apr-June net profit to Rs 62.14 lakhs, up over 4 times from the corresponding quarter last year and over seven times from the immediate preceding quarter of Jan-Mar.
The profit for the first quarter was driven by 142% rise year-on-year and 18.7% rise quarter-on-quarter in net sales to Rs 702.39 lakhs, aided by the positive impact of the web-media solutions launched during the quarter under review.
Total expenditure for the quarter grew by 134% year-on-year and 9.6% on quarter to Rs 640.25 lakhs.
Commenting on the quarter performance, Esha Media Research, Managing Director, RS Iyer said, “The launch of the web monitoring solution of TV content has received a phenomenal response from the corporate world as well as media agencies leading to an increase in revenue during the quarter. The web-based solution has been a win-win situation as it brought down the per unit cost for the subscriber as volume increased for a fixed price while Esha Media was assured of revenue subscription.”
Going forward, we are hopeful that more corporates and agencies would subscribe to our web-based services and the trend set in the first quarter is expected to continue in the subsequent quarters, Iyer said.
Esha Media is also in the process of expanding the ambit of its coverage by increasing the number of television channels monitored by it, he added.
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.
