News Broadcasting
News Nation’s Desh Ki Behas
It has been a month since News Nation launched its brand-new show “Desh Ki Bahes”. Since the beginning, the show fostered issues which were raised by the “aam janata” through various platforms like Facebook, Twitter, phone calls, whatsapp, SMS etc. True to its commitment, the show invariably discussed and debated on the topics with renowned politicians, journalist, experts and more to say across the border with Pakistani counter parts as well. The topics were discussed in detail which cleared all doubts of general viewers be it topic of Corona, Rafale, Sino-Indian tensions, Rajasthan Political crisis or Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Sushant Singh Rajput’s death. Unlike other discussion shows, every panel member gets sufficient time to present their point of view which is an extremely essential criteria of a debate show per say.
The channel did a marketing campaign of the show focusing mainly in the HSM region and post eval of the activity showed significant conversions as per BARC data. Within a short span of time the show witnessed a massive growth in social media interactions with the Facebook page and Twitter handles getting whopping 1000 % + jump on its base figures. While speaking of BARC figures the show witnessed increasing trend in viewership of its 9:00 pm band. It is quite interesting to note that in Wk28’20 “Desh Ki Bahes” show has higher stickiness than Aaj Tak, ABP News, Zee News , NDTV India in the first half hour of show while 2nd half hour of the show is higher than ABP News and as good as Aaj Tak as per BARC.( 15+ Yrs, Atsv mins, HSM).
Mr. Deepak Chaurasia, Consulting Editor , News Nation, who anchors the show commented “ The response which we are getting on a daily basis is very encouraging, the differentiation of Desh Ki Bahes is its, for the people, by the people and of the people. I am hopeful that with passage of time the show will create milestones in news broadcasting”.
Mr. Abhay Ojha, President- Sales & Marketing told us “sponsors are keenly watching the show and we got positive feelers of the show from client and agencies, we are hopeful of closing some sponsors soon”. The show is aired on weekdays 8:30 pm-10:00 pm
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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.
