Network18 Q4 Results: Loss at ₹29.09 Cr Despite Strong News Segment Growth
Business and Industry Overview:
Network18 Media & Investments Ltd. is a big media company in India. It started in 1996. Now, Reliance Industries Ltd. owns 75% of it. The company works in TV, digital media, and magazines. In TV, it runs many news channels. Some are CNN-News18, CNBC-TV18, CNBC Awaaz, News18 India, and News18 channels in different languages like Tamil, Bengali, Marathi, and more. It also runs Viacom18. This is a joint venture with Paramount Global. Viacom18 has many entertainment channels like Colors TV, MTV India, Nickelodeon, VH1 India, and Comedy Central. Viacom18 also owns JioCinema, which is an app to watch shows and movies online. JioCinema is now very popular. It also shows IPL cricket matches. In digital media, Network18 owns famous websites. These are Moneycontrol (for finance and stocks), News18.com (for news in many languages), Firstpost (for news and articles), and CNBC-TV18.com. These websites get over 180 million visitors every month. In print, Network18 also makes magazines like Forbes India (for business) and Overdrive (for cars and bikes). The company’s TV channels reach over 175 million people every week. It gives content in over 16 Indian languages. The company is big in news, entertainment, and digital space. With support from Reliance, it is an important media company in India.
Latest Stock News:
As of April 2025, the stock price of Network18 Media & Investments Ltd. is ₹41.81, which is much lower than its highest price of ₹106 in the past year. The company reported a big loss of ₹1,435 crore in the third quarter of FY25. This happened because Viacom18 was changed to an associate company and IndiaCast was sold. These changes made the company lose value. The company’s total revenue also went down by 23%, to ₹1,361 crore. But the news part of the company did better. Its revenue grew by 4.3%, reaching ₹1,896 crore for the whole year. This was because the company controlled costs better, charged more for ads, and got more viewers. The company is now focusing on using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve its work. They hired a new Chief AI Officer to lead this change. Even with the loss, the company is working to get better by using new technology and focusing on the areas that are doing well.
Business Segments:
- Television Broadcasting: The company runs many TV channels. These include business news channels like CNBC-TV18 and CNBC Awaaz, and general news channels like CNN-News18 and News18 India. They also have regional news channels under the News18 name.
- Digital Content: Network18 owns websites like Moneycontrol for finance news, News18.com for general news, and Firstpost for news and articles. These websites provide a lot of content for people to read online.
- Publishing: The company also publishes magazines like Forbes India for business news and Overdrive for car and bike-related content.
- Other Businesses: Network18 is involved in other businesses like making films and digital commerce (selling things online).
Subsidiary information:
- Network 18 Media Trust – A trust fully owned by the company.
- Infomedia Press Limited – The company owns 50.69% of this business.
- Colosceum Media Private Limited – Fully owned by Network18.
- Greycells18 Media Limited – The company owns 89.69% of this business.
- Media18 Distribution Services Limited – Fully owned by Network18.
- Web18 Digital Services Limited – Fully owned by Network18.
- Moneycontrol Dot Com India Limited – Fully owned by Network18.
- AETN18 Media Private Limited – The company owns 51% of this business.
Q4 Highlights:
- Revenue: The company’s news business grew by 4.3%, reaching ₹1,896 crore for the year ending on March 31, 2025.
- Profit: The news division’s operating profit (EBITDA) increased a lot, almost doubling to ₹33 crore. This happened because the company controlled costs well, increased ad prices, and got more viewers.
- Loss: The company reported a big loss of ₹1,435 crore for Q4. This loss happened because Viacom18 was changed to an associate company, and the company sold IndiaCast. These changes made the company lose value on its balance sheet.
Financial Summary:
| Amount in ₹ Crore | Q4 FY23 | Q4 FY24 | FY23 | FY24 |
| Revenue | 1,483.72 | 2,419.28 | 6,320.95 | 9,994.42 |
| Expenses | 1,462.77 | 2,678.37 | 7,266.21 | 9,961.60 |
| EBITDA | 20.95 | -259.09 | 137.3 | -664.2 |
| Operating Margin (OPM) | 1.41% | -10.71% | 2.17% | -6.65% |
| Net Profit / (Loss) | -36.78 | -95.95 | -84.27 | -253.75 |
| Net Profit Margin (NPM) | -2.48% | -3.97% | -1.33% | -2.54% |
| Earnings Per Share (EPS) | -0.35 | -0.93 | -0.81 | -2.45 |