New Delhi: Network18 Media & Investments Ltd on Wednesday reported a steady performance for the quarter ended December 31, 2025, with its news business posting a 5% year-on-year rise in operating revenue to ₹500.4 crore, even as the broader advertising market remained under pressure.
The company said advertising inventory demand for the TV news industry declined by over 10% during the quarter, but Network18 outperformed the sector, supported by its diversified language portfolio and strong positions across television and digital platforms.
Operating expenses for the standalone news business increased 5.1% YoY to ₹488.6 crore, while operating EBITDA came in at ₹11.8 crore, up marginally from ₹11.6 crore a year ago and sharply higher on a sequential basis. Operating EBITDA margin stood at 2.4% in Q3FY26, compared with 1.5% in the previous quarter.
For the nine months ended December 2025, operating revenue grew 2.4% YoY to ₹1,408 crore, despite a high base last year due to election-linked advertising. The company said tight cost controls helped contain expense growth during the period.
Network18 maintained its position as the country’s largest news network, with TV viewership share rising 110 basis points year-on-year to 14.2%. The network continued to lead key markets including Hindi, English, Marathi and Kannada, while retaining strong positions in Bengali and other Hindi-speaking regional markets.
On the digital front, Network18 said it remained India’s number one digital news and information network with nearly 300 million monthly users. Its YouTube presence strengthened further, with over 16 billion video views during the quarter—more than 2.5 times that of the nearest competitor—while social media followers crossed 386 million.
The company also renewed its partnership with CNN International for another 10 years, aiming to expand CNN-News18’s digital and international footprint, including on connected TV and global platforms.
Chairman Adil Zainulbhai said the group had “defied industry trends” amid a challenging macro environment and expressed optimism that recent government measures to boost consumption would support advertising-led businesses going forward