News Broadcasting
News18 India launches Aaj Ka No.1 campaign – asserts its leadership in Prime-time
MUMBAI: News18 India, Network18’s general Hindi News channels, has in recent time witnessed unprecedented growth. The channel has emerged as the No. 1 channel in the Hindi News genre in the key prime time band – 7-11pm -in Urban India. Starting with Aar Paar at 7pm a fiery debate anchored by Amish Devgan, Hum Toh Poochnge a substantive discussion on the day’s top story at 8pm anchored by Sumit Awasthi and a fast paced & sharp news bulletin with Kishore Ajwani at 9 pm – Sau Baat ki ek Baat, the channel has a power packed line-up of shows which has allowed it to create a niche for itself amongst Hindi News audiences.
The Aaj Ka No.1 campaign intends to celebrate the channel’s success in a highly cluttered category with over a dozen channels vying for eyeballs. It directly takes on the competition and asserts that News18 India has altered the pecking order in the category. The 360 degree campaign which will run across various media including TV, print, social and trade media will clearly seek to project that the momentum in the genre is now with News18 India – the Aaj ka No. 1. The campaign will use a visual device & treatment that is meant to ensure high recall and share of buzz for the same.
Commenting on the campaign Network18, Group Brand Advisor, Rahul Kansal said “News 18 India has grown steadily in the past few months, to emerge as urban India’s leading Hindi News channel in prime-time. We have a line-up of strong anchors who take up issues in a purposeful way with a desire to shed light, not just create sound, (as seems to have become the norm).“
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.
