News Broadcasting
India TV’s ‘Chunav Manch’ to be telecast live on 4 February
MUMBAI: While the country braces itself for much awaited Assembly Elections 2017, the epicenter of all the buzz remains Uttar Pradesh. The soaring high political fever has gripped this all-political state like never before – an election that is almost seen as run through of the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections or a verdict of PM Narendra Modi’s demonetization move to say the least.
Chunav Manch – UP will be held at Lucknow on 4 February, 2017, and will be telecast live on India TV through the day.
To gratify its audiences with top content, India TV has declared yet another edition of its a full-day mega conclave “Chunav Manch” right from the nerve-centre of Lucknow from where all the big political headlines are endlessly being generated for months now.
India TV chairman and editor-in-chief Rajat Sharma shall himself punctuate the day’s proceedings by subjecting political bigwigs to the tough questions in his unique interrogating style to bring out the real plot to light amongst the almost continuous news of endless flip-flops by the key contenders.
Political big-wheelers those are most likely to be present for the day include – UP CM Akhilesh Yadav, BJP president Amit Shah, UP Congress chief Raj Babbar are expected to share the Manch with leaders like Yogi Adityanath, Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Prof. Ramgopal Yadav, Sakshi Maharaj, Shivpal Yadav, Asaduddin Owaisi, Keshav Prasad Maurya, Dr. Sanjay Singh, Pramod Tiwari, Anupriya Patel, Naresh Agarwal, Sudhanshu Trivedi, Manoj Tiwari and Raghuraj Pratap Singh (Raja Bhaiyya) amongst others.
Announcing the second chapter of Chunav Manch – UP, India TV MD & CEO Ritu Dhawan said, “We as the leader of the genre owe a magnifying view of all that interests our viewers. UP is hot (for our viewers) at the moment & thus the initiative is unavoidable.”
“The booming success of the first edition has made the challenge a really difficult one & we will strive best to match it.” She 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.
