Network18 Media & Investments Ltd. has reported a 4.3% year-on-year increase in standalone operating revenue for its news business, reaching ₹1,896 crore for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025. The company also achieved a significant improvement in operating EBITDA, which nearly doubled to ₹33 crore, driven by effective cost management, enhanced advertising rates, and increased viewership.
In the fourth quarter, Network18’s standalone news segment delivered a 9.5% quarter-on-quarter revenue growth, totaling ₹522 crore. Despite a challenging advertising environment, the segment posted an operating EBITDA of ₹13 crore, with a margin increase to 2.6% from the previous quarter’s 2.2%. Operating expenses rose by 3% year-on-year to ₹508 crore.
The company maintained its leadership in key national genres, with News18 India as the top Hindi news channel, CNBC-TV18 leading the business news space, and CNN-News18 topping English news. Regionally, News18 Lokmat and News18 Bangla achieved the number one position in their respective states, while News18 Kannada emerged as a strong number two, more than doubling its market share.
On the digital front, Network18’s portfolio, led by Moneycontrol, continued to strengthen its position. Moneycontrol Pro surpassed 7.5 lakh paid subscribers, solidifying its status as India’s leading subscription-based financial platform and ranking among the top 20 globally. The company’s digital news business recorded a 40% year-on-year revenue growth, reaching ₹425 crore for the fiscal year.
Despite an exceptional consolidated loss of ₹1,777 crore due to restructuring activities involving Viacom18 and Star India, Chairman Adil Zainulbhai expressed confidence in the company’s long-term growth trajectory, emphasizing its position as India’s largest news network in terms of viewership share, audience reach, and language footprint.
