News Broadcasting
ZMCL hires Dwivedi as national sales head
MUMBAI: Zee Media Corp Limited (ZMCL) has got a new hire: national sales head Harshwardhan Dwivedi has hopped on board. He will be in-charge of two channels – Zee Uttar Pradesh and the newly acquired, Zee Maurya, also known as Zee Bihar/Jharkhand. To be based in Noida, he will be reporting into Zee News chief sales officer Jitesh Rajdeo. Alongside, he will also be handling a team of about 20-25 people.
Dwivedi earlier headed retail sales for Network 18’s five channels – ETV Madhya Pradesh/Chattisgarh, ETV Uttar Pradesh/Uttarakhand, ETV Bihar/Jharkhand, ETV Rajasthan and ETV Urdu (North).
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This is Dwivedi’s second stint with the Zee TV group. He earlier worked in the position of sales manager from 2006 to 2009 for both Zee News and Zee TV.
“It’s going to be a good experience as now ZMCL is catering to an unexplored market. There is more opportunity for us to grow in the regions after the downfall of Mahuaa. Zee has a big background and a good understanding of the market,” says Dwivedi, who is excited about his new job.
Dwivedi started his TV career with Sahara India TV Network after which he moved to Zee as sales manager for ZEEL (Zee Entertainment Enterprises) and Zee News. He has also worked with Mahuaa as the regional sales head (north) in the past.
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.
