The company’s consolidated EBITDA surged 80% YoY, reaching ₹8 crore compared to ₹4 crore in Q1 FY26. The consolidated EBITDA margin rose to 1.5% this quarter, up from 0.9% during the corresponding period last year.
The company noted that its advertising business performed strongly during the state elections, including those in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, capturing a substantial share of advertising expenditures during this time.
Network18’s ad inventory consumption increased by 10% YoY, while the industry saw only a 3% growth during the same quarter. The company indicated that this industry growth was primarily fueled by government advertising from central and state campaigns, political party expenditures, and public sector advertising. However, non-government advertising inventory experienced a decline of over 10% YoY.
For Network18, non-government advertising inventory consumption saw a growth of around 2% YoY, bolstered by its diverse portfolio and market presence. Furthermore, the company experienced heightened monetization on Connected TV screens, which is becoming a crucial revenue source.
The company achieved its fourth consecutive quarter of growth despite a challenging macroeconomic landscape, ongoing geopolitical issues, and the lack of viewership ratings during this period.
Network18 maintained its dominant position on YouTube, garnering 1.5 times the video views of its closest competitor during the quarter. On election results day, News18 India, CNN-News18, and News18 Bangla recorded the highest peak concurrency, or average live concurrent viewers, in their respective markets.
Total views across social media platforms soared past 32 billion during the quarter, marking a 31% increase quarter-on-quarter, while the company’s social media following exceeded 472 million.
The company also reported robust momentum in its lending business. The network of secured lending partners expanded to include notable names such as Muthoot, DSP Finance, and Rupeek.
Moneycontrol
The platform observed over 3 times the time spent and double the page views of its nearest competitor. Moneycontrol Pro retained its status as India’s largest digital news subscription service, boasting over one million paid subscribers. It continues to enhance its product offerings to deliver even greater value to subscribers.
News18.com
This platform experienced an 8% sequential rise in unique users, with engagement levels increasing as the average session length grew by more than 10%. During the recent state elections, it introduced a revamped Election Analytics Centre featuring constituency-level insights, live data widgets, shareable result graphics, and AI-driven multilingual content generation.
Firstpost
The website remains a leading source for global affairs explored through an Indian perspective. It has cultivated a strong and dedicated YouTube following, nearing 10 million subscribers. Firstpost achieved over 270 million video views on YouTube during the quarter, with more than 50% of those views originating from outside India.
Adil Zainulbhai, Chairman of Network18, commented, “The previous quarter was mixed for us and the industry. While state elections boosted advertising revenues, ongoing geopolitical tensions and a poor monsoon forecast were dampeners for the macroeconomic climate.
Government actions regarding viewership ratings have also negatively impacted industry sentiment. Despite these challenges, we remain committed to enhancing our products to better serve our consumers, positioning ourselves to take advantage when the macro environment improves.”
Shares of Network18 Media & Investments Ltd closed at ₹31.71, down ₹0.24, or 0.75%, on the BSE.
Disclaimer: Network18, the parent company of CNBCTV18.com, is managed by Independent Media Trust, of which Reliance Industries is the sole beneficiary.
