News Broadcasting
Vote! Because you must
MUMBAI: For every Indian citizen, who is escaping the power to use their own weapon for change, ET NOW India’s #1 Stocks and Business News channel has launched an election special initiative by Brand Equity called ‘Vote, India! with an intent to mobilize voters to cast their franchise.
Under the initiative, three impactful TV films (created by India’s finest advertising agencies – McCann Erickson, Publicis and Leo Burnett) urging India to cast their vote, are now up in the race to be Voted as the Best one.
Practicing democracy to the last bit, the best TV film will be adjudged basis people’s votes; all one needs to do is to log onto the ET NOWs Brand Equity FB page on www.facebook.com/brandequity and cast their vote for the campaign they deem as most effective on or before 1st April.
Along with, the films will be judged by a panel of esteemed jury comprising Akshay Raut, Director General, Election commission of India, Milind Deora – Minister of State Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (India), Anupam Kher – Actor, Amitabh Kant –Secretary, Dept of Policy & Promotion & Piyush Pandey, Executive Chairman & National Creative Director Ogilvy & Mather India.
Hosted by Sonali Krishna, the election special Brand Equity episode, announcing the winning Film will feature on Wednesday, April 02 at 10.30 pm followed by repeats on Saturday 2.30 pm & Sunday at 11 am.
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.
