News Broadcasting
MIB: Doordarshan clocks 372 crore viewers; Prasar Bharati nets Rs 14,421 crore
Funds channelled into salaries and BIND-led upgrades, Ministry told
NEW DELHI: Prasar Bharati received Rs 14,421 crore in budgetary support between 2020–21 and 2024–25, the ministry of information and broadcasting told Parliament, underlining the government’s continued backing of India’s public service broadcaster.
The funds were deployed primarily towards staff salaries and infrastructure upgrades under the Broadcasting Infrastructure and Network Development (BIND) scheme. With an outlay of Rs 2,539.61 crore for 2021–26, BIND is aimed at modernising studios, transmission networks and digital systems across Doordarshan and All India Radio.
Over the same period, Doordarshan recorded a cumulative gross unique viewership of 372.8 crore between 2021 and January 2026, according to estimates by the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC). Officials stressed that the figure reflects overall reach rather than sustained engagement levels.
Responding to a query from DMK MP T R Baalu, minister of state for information and broadcasting L Murugan, said Prasar Bharati’s audience base had not seen a sharp decline despite intensifying competition from private television and radio networks.
Murugan told Parliament that Prasar Bharati follows a “nation first” mandate, prioritising public service over ratings or commercial returns. Doordarshan and Akashvani, he said, are required to serve remote, rural, tribal and left-wing extremism–affected regions that are often unwelcoming to private broadcasters.
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.
