News Broadcasting
Nidhi Vasandani quits TV9, pivots to podcasts
After two decades in television, Vasandani plans a podcast on faith, growth and life stories
NEW DELHI: Senior television journalist and news anchor Nidhi Vasandani has resigned from TV9 Network, ending a nearly three-and-a-half-year stint as deputy editor at TV9 Bharatvarsh. She is currently serving her notice period.
Confirming the development to Samachar4media, Vasandani said she is moving into digital media and long-form podcasts. The upcoming podcast series, she added, will centre on growth, faith and the life journeys of influential individuals.
Vasandani brings more than two decades of newsroom experience. Before TV9, she spent around three and a half years with Republic Bharat, where she was part of the founding team. Her earlier roles include a brief tenure at India News, followed by nearly four years at ABP News from 2014, where she produced and anchored political and ground-reporting shows, including election programming and demonetisation coverage.
From 2009 to 2014, she worked as producer and anchor at Zee Business, and also contributed to regional channels under Zee Media. Earlier stints include Sahara Samay, as well as brief roles at Raj News and Bhaskar TV in Bhopal.
Academically, Vasandani holds a BA (honours) in economics and postgraduate degrees in mass communication and political science. A trained kathak dancer, she has performed widely, taught children, and appeared multiple times on Doordarshan. She has been honoured by Shivraj Singh Chauhan as Bhopal’s best classical dancer and received the National Award for Sindhi Talent in 2004.
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.
