News Broadcasting
Rajat Sharma to set ‘Chunav Manch’ agenda on 15 Oct, grill leaders
MUMBAI: Gujarat, the state which is inarguably the epicentre of contemporary Indian politics, is gearing up for Assembly Elections 2017. With the confirmation of a strong participation from all major political forces in play, Ahmedabad the nerve centre of the state is all geared-up to host India TV Chunav Manch, channel’s flagship Election Conclave.
The political fervour has started to grip none but all across the country like never before – to say the least the upcoming elections in Prime Minister’s home state are almost seen as run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections. To capture the rising political fever in the state and to keep the viewers on the top of the news spectrum, nation’s leading news broadcaster India TV has announced Ahmedabad edition of “Chunav Manch – full-day Mega Conclave”.
India’s foremost news personality, India TV Chairman and Editor-in-Chief Rajat Sharma shall lead the charge to set the agenda of the long eventful day. He along with his team of leading India TV Anchors shall grill the political big-wheelers who shall be present for the occasion. The landmark conclave shall unofficially mark the commencement of a hugely anticipated high-decibel campaigns by all major political parties in the state.
India TV Events have always been recognized for excellence both in terms of execution and participation. As being rightly anticipated, the Ahmedabad edition of Chunav Manch shall host an impressive set of dignitaries along with nation’s & state’s top political stakeholders.
Amongst those who are most likely to be present for the day include – Finance Minister Arun Jaitely, BJP President Amit Shah, Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani, Former CMs – Anandiben Patel & Shankersinh Vaghela, Congress Leaders Ahmed Patel & Arjun Modhwadia and Political Activist Hardik Patel.
India TV MD Ritu Dhawan announcing Chunav Manch – Ahmedabad said, “As a leading News Channel, our primary responsibility towards our viewers is providing them with rich content together with maintaining a healthy share of original content in our programming mix. We are simply fulfilling our Brand promise.”
“As I have held in the past as well, we compete only with ourselves and given the benchmarks we have been able to create, going forward is always a motivation,” she added.
Chunav Manch – Ahmedabad is scheduled for 15 October 2017 and will be telecast live on India TV through the day.
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.
