News Broadcasting
News18 Network announces 2nd edition of rising india summit
MUMBAI: With the theme ‘Beyond Politics: Defining National Priorities’, News18, India’s largest news network, is coming up with the second edition of its marquee thought-leadership initiative-News18 Rising India Summit 2019. The event will be held in New Delhi on February 25 & 26 and the inaugural evening will be graced by the Honorable Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi who will give the keynote address.
Avinash Kaul, COO, Network18 commented, “As the largest news network in the country not just in size and scale with 19 channels in 15 languages but also viewership, it's only fitting that a platform as large as Rising India is conceptualized by us. We are proud to continue from last year's success of Rising India Summit and this year being an election year presents an even bigger opportunity to us to initiate ideas and dialogues.”
The summit this year, held on a monumental scale, will bring together people of eminence and exceptional achievements, from various walks of life, to celebrate India’s successes and deliberate the future. The two-day summit will witness dignitaries such as BJP President Amit Shah, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Minister of Finance & Railways Piyush Goyal, Minister of Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkhari, Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan and Union Minister Law and Justice and Electronics and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad.
Priyanka Kaul, President – Marketing & Special Projects, Network18 added, “Taking this initiative a notch higher this year, we are looking forward to welcome renowned stalwarts and celebrities on a common platform. As a network, we cater to people across demographics, geography and socio-cultural regions. With an endeavor to imagine a collective future to greatness and further giving an edge to India’s rising stature, this platform will capture the thoughts and vision of those in the driving seat of various facets of progress. We believe that this summit will sow the intention and pen down the direction of taking India to another level of growth in the coming year.”
The mega-event will kick-start with ‘Two Mystics’ – Ramdev and Sadhguru, following which an array of union ministers will be sharing their views on the theme ‘Building India for the Future’. The second day of this grandeur summit will commence with the address by Home Minister Rajnath Singh speaking on his idea of ‘Rising India: The Challenges Within’. Taking the evening further to be more exciting, there will be a panel discussion with eight women influencers such as Supriya Sule, Maneka Gandhi, Meenakshi Lekhi, Shobha De and others pondering on the new gender equation. While luminaries from sports and Bollywood will also be gracing the event, the session on ‘Future of Rising India’ will witness participations from the young guns of the country namely, Sachin Pilot, Tejaswi Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav, Anurag Thakur, Nara Lokesh, Jitin Prasada and others.
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.
