News Broadcasting
ZEE Hindustan Organizes Mega CM E-Conclave, Hindustan E-Vimarsh, Direct With CM
ZEE Hindustan, ZEE Media Corporation Ltd’s anchorless and multilingual national news channel conducted a nationwide E Conclave with 14 CMs of states, on 16th May 2020. Hindustan E-Vimarsh, Direct With CM, was a continuous telecast of 7-hour session with different state heads participating pan India.
The E Conclave was held just a day before Lockdown 3.0 ended. Almost 2 months into the lockdown, India has faced a new challenge. Protecting its people from Covid-19 and reviving the economy so that the livelihoods and dignity of our citizens can be restored. As India walks on this two-edged sword, ZEE Hindustan took the lead to organize an E Conclave with Heads of States so that our viewers may get a clear picture of the road to recovery.
Each individual CM session lasted for half an hour where the leaders put forward their strategy for the coming days and encouraged our viewers to stay strong. CMs who graced the session were: UP CM Yogi Adityanath, Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani, MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Punjab CM Capt. Amarinder Singh, Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel, Sikkim CM Prem Singh Tamang, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, Tripura CM Biplab Kumar Deb, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat, Manipur CM N Biren Singh, Himachal CM Jairam Thakur, Goa CM Pramod Sawant and Puducherry CM Velu Narayanasamy. The conclave cut across party differences showing the need of the hour.
Speaking on the occasion, ZMCL Cluster 2 CEO, Mr. Purushottam Vaishnava said, “As the lockdown keeps getting extended, people are getting restless. Unverified sources on social media are creating an atmosphere of ambiguity in the nation. As a responsible media company, we wanted to bring clarity amidst this chaos. Hindustan E-Vimarsh was thus conceptualized to bring our Heads of States straight to our viewer’s homes.”
ZEE 24 Ghanta, ZEE Rajasthan, ZEE Bihar Jharkhand, ZEE 24 Kalak and ZEE Odisha – the 5 regional news channels of ZMCL Cluster 2 also participated in the event by telecasting relevant CM sessions. Each of these channels is slated to have their own state-level E Vimarsh with respective cabinet ministers in the coming days.
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.
