In a quarter shaped by cautious consumer sentiment and post-election ad slowdown, Network18 quietly reinforced its leadership in India’s media ecosystem-without the noise or flash.
The company reported consolidated operating revenue of ₹430 crore in Q1 FY2025-26. While revenue was down from last year due to the deconsolidation of Viacom18 and other units, Network18’s story this quarter lies in its operational focus and digital dominance.
It now commands the largest digital news audience in India, reaching over 300 million monthly users and accounting for 67% of total digital news viewership, according to Comscore. Its flagship brands-Moneycontrol, News18, Firstpost, and CNBCTV18.com-continue to lead engagement metrics.
Moneycontrol Pro crossed 1 million paid subscribers, Firstpost saw a 120% jump in video views, and the network nearly doubled its YouTube views to 19 billion. On TV, it retained top spots across key categories-News18 India led Hindi news, CNBC-TV18 dominated English business, and CNN-News18 topped English general news.
But the bigger pivot was strategic. The company rolled out three premium digital services-CNBC TV18 ACCESS, Moneycontrol Super Pro, and CNBC TV18 Prime-targeting serious investors and global CXOs.
Operating EBITDA rose to ₹4 crore, nearly doubling YoY. A one-time gain of ₹587 crorefrom revaluation of its stake in Eenadu Television pushed standalone net profit to ₹516.2 crore.
Chairman Adil Zainulbhai summed it up: “This reflects our belief in strategic execution and the potential of premium content.”
What’s clear is that Network18 is undergoing a transformation-from a legacy media player to a digital-first, monetization-driven content tech platform. The numbers may not shout, but the intent is unmistakable.
