News Broadcasting
Industry Honchos Uday Kotak, Rajnish Kumar and Kalpana Morparia come together to identify the winners of IBLA 2019
MUMBAI: CNBC-TV18’s most-awaited marquee property, The India Business Leaders Awards will be conducting a jury meet along with an informative and insightful panel discussion on Today at Trident BKC, Mumbai, 2:30 pm.
The panel discussion will be focused on ‘THE BATTLE FOR GROWTH’, moderated by CNBC-TV18’s Managing Editor Shereen Bhan with prominent industry veterans and jury members Uday Kotak (Jury Chairperson) – Chairman & MD of Kotak Mahindra Bank, Zarin Daruwala – Standard Chartered CEO, Rajnish Kumar – Chairman, SBI, Vani Kola – Managing Director, Kalaari Capital, Nimesh Kampani – Chairman, JM Financial Group, Sanjay Nayar – CEO, KKR India, Kalpana Morparia – CEO, JP Morgan India, Harsh Mariwala – Founder & Chairman, Marico, and Rajiv Memani – Chairman & Regional Managing Partner, E&Y, India.
The winners will be determined based on their outstanding leadership qualities, their path breaking accomplishments and their contribution towards economic growth and establishing profitable, sustainable and socially-conscious businesses in their industry.
Sharing her opinion on the occasion, Shereen Bhan, Managing Editor and Anchor of CNBC-TV18 says, “India Business Leaders Awards is CNBC-TV18’s most prestigious annual property. Every year, our exemplary jury members take up this challenging task of short-listing the winners from an eminent list of nominees. IBLA has recognised business leaders who have created value, shareholder wealth, and created profitable brands. This year too we look forward to honour some outstanding performers and felicitate them at IBLA 2019”.
The awards will be scheduled sometime around January 2019, felicitating true visionaries who have devoted their expertise to the industry leading them to success.
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.
