News Broadcasting
Palki Sharma Upadhyay receives TV Anchor of the Year award at IAA Leadership Awards ’21
Mumbai: World is One News’ (WION) executive editor Palki Sharma Upadhyay has been felicitated with the prestigious TV Anchor of the Year award at the IAA Leadership Awards 2021 held on 24 September at Taj Lands End, Bandra West, Mumbai. Upadhyay who has contributed 20 years to the field of journalism and has been with WION for four years, currently hosts the primetime news programme “Gravitas.”
The India chapter of the International Advertising Association established the IAA Leadership Awards to honour individuals in the fields of marketing, advertising, and media, who have made enormous professional contributions and delivered business success to their companies.
“I would like to thank the IAA committee for conferring this award. Special mention goes out to my team who toil hard to get factually correct information on which we base our reports,” said Upadhyay. “It is always our endeavour to arm the viewers with information that creates awareness about the world, and so it shall continue to be.”
India’s first global news channel WION has more than 35 bureaus across global cities and expanding its footprint in 190 countries across Africa, Europe, Russia, USA, South America, APAC region, and MENA region and is currently accessed across four billion connected devices globally. Transforming the age-old pattern of western narratives on world issues, WION has been instrumental in becoming the voice of a new India bringing the Indian perspective to the global news stage.
“I am extremely happy that one of our finest journalist Palki Sharma Upadhyay is getting recognised for her hard work and dedication to the craft,” said Zee Media CEO – cluster 1 Sudhir Chowdhary. “Palki Sharma is an integral part of why WION has been doing exceptionally well for the past couple of Years. I hope this is a sign of more achievements in the coming years. I would like to wish her a hearty congratulations from my side.”
WION is India’s digital-first international news channel has become the world’s number one English news channel on YouTube. In an overwhelming feat recently, the news channel has topped the chart on Youtube views surpassing the other established news channels like BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera, NDTV, Republic, and Times Now which are much older brands. WION who has just celebrated its five years of existence continues to excel in international news reporting.
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.
