The company reported a pre-tax loss of Rs 70.8 crore in Q1 FY26 as against a pre-tax loss of Rs 74.6 crore reported in the same period a year ago. The firm reported exceptional items of Rs 587 crore during the quarter.

Total expenses declined 4.25% to Rs 509.7 crore in Q1 FY26 as against Rs 532.3 crore posted in the corresponding quarter of the previous year. Marketing, distribution and promotional expenses stood at Rs 101.4 crore (down 5.41% YoY) and operational costs stood at Rs 81.7 crore (down 4.58% YoY) during the period under review.

During the quarter, the company’s new business operating revenue declined 4.9% to Rs 430 crore, compared to Rs 453 crore reported in Q1 FY25. The new business operating EBITDA jumped 68.5% YoY to Rs 4 crore in Q1 FY26. The operating EBITDA margin was at 1% in Q1 FY26, up from 0.5% in Q1 FY25.

The advertising environment for the news business remained soft amid weak consumer demand and a sports-heavy quarter, with TV news ad inventory consumption declining by more than 20% YoY.

Advertising inventory consumption for the TV news industry declined by more than 20% YoY, highlighting the challenges faced by the segment. Despite the dual impact of a weak ad environment and high base, Network18 displayed resilient performance on the back of its strong operating position, with operating revenue down by only 5% compared with Q1FY24, which also did not have any significant revenue linked to elections; revenue is up 9%. In view of the soft revenue conditions, the company maintained a tight control on expenses as operating costs declined by 5% YoY during the quarter.

Adil Zainulbhai, Chairman of Network18, said, “Another quarter of strong operating performance, however, persisting macroeconomic headwinds meant that it did not translate into a commensurate financial performance. Our steady progress across operating metrics over the last few quarters is a testimony to our vision for the business and the strategic execution of our plans. Our new product launches highlight our forward-looking approach and our endeavor to continue diversifying our business and building new avenues of growth.”

On the digital front, Network18 achieved a significant milestone by becoming the number one digital news network in India in terms of reach, boasting a monthly reach of over 300 million across native and social platforms.

The group continues to be the largest TV news network, with viewership share increasing by 220 basis points year-on-year. The growth has been primarily driven by strong performance in regional markets.

Network18 Media & Investments (Network18 Group) is a diversified media and entertainment (M&E) conglomerate with interests across television, digital content, filmed entertainment, e-commerce, print and allied businesses. TV18 Broadcast, a subsidiary of Network18, manages its primary business of broadcasting. It runs the largest news network in India, spanning business news general news, and regional news.