Network18 Media & Investments Ltd has reported a strong performance in its news business for the financial year ending March 31, 2025, even though the overall advertising market was weak.
Key Highlights:
- News Revenue Up 4.3%: Network18’s standalone revenue from the news segment grew to ₹1,896 crore.
- EBITDA Doubled: Operating profit (EBITDA) almost doubled to ₹33 crore due to better cost management, stronger ad pricing, and more viewers.
- Leadership in News: The company remained the top player in Hindi, English, and business news categories. It also became the number one news channel in Marathi and Bengali markets.
Q4 Performance:
- Quarterly EBITDA at ₹13 Crore: Despite a tough advertising market and comparison with last year’s election boost, Network18 earned ₹13 crore in EBITDA in Q4.
- Revenue Up 9.5% QoQ: Standalone revenue in Q4 rose to ₹522 crore.
- Expenses Rose Slightly: Operating costs increased by 3% year-on-year to ₹508 crore.
- Loss Narrowed: The quarterly loss stood at ₹69 crore, compared to ₹31 crore in the same period last year.
Read More: HDFC Life Stock Could Hit Rs 850! Find Out Why Experts Are Excited!
Digital Segment Shines:
- Moneycontrol Pro: Continued as India’s biggest financial subscription platform with over 1 million paying users.
- Fintech Growth: Over 6 million users checked their credit scores, and new partnerships in lending and credit cards were launched.
- New Features: Tools for investors and a special section on ETFs were introduced to improve user experience.
Market Position:
- Top News Network in India: Network18 ended the year with a 14.1% national market share and over 180 million weekly viewers.
- Regional Success: News18 Lokmat (Marathi) and News18 Bangla (Bengali) became the leading channels in their states. News18 Kannada reached number 2 and more than doubled its market share.
- National Channel Leaders:
- News18 India – Top Hindi news channel
- CNBC-TV18 – No.1 in business news
- CNN-News18 – Leader in English news
Consolidated Results Affected by Restructuring:
- The company reported a consolidated net loss of ₹1,777 crore for FY25. This was mainly due to a one-time loss of ₹1,436 crore from restructuring and selling some parts of its business, including Viacom18 and Indiacast.
Chairman’s Statement:
Chairman Adil Zainulbhai said:
“We’re proud to end the year as the biggest news network in India. Despite short-term challenges, we believe in the company’s strong future growth.”
