Network18 delivered a resilient performance in the third quarter of FY26, reporting a 5 per cent year-on-year rise in operating revenue to Rs.500 crore, even as the broader advertising environment for television news remained subdued. The performance underlines the network’s ability to withstand macro headwinds through scale, diversification and disciplined cost management.

According to a Network18 press release, the growth came at a time when advertising inventory demand for the TV news industry declined by over 10 per cent year-on-year. Network18 was able to limit the impact by recording a significantly lower decline in inventory utilisation, supported by its strong leadership positions across genres, languages and platforms. For the first nine months of FY26, the network reported revenue growth of 2.4 per cent despite a high base last year driven by election-related advertising, reinforcing its position as India’s largest news network.

Operating expenses for the news business rose marginally to Rs.488.6 crore in Q3 FY26, broadly in line with revenue growth, reflecting prudent cost controls in a soft revenue environment. Operating EBITDA stood at Rs.11.8 crore during the quarter, up sharply on a sequential basis, with margins improving to 2.4 per cent. For the nine-month period, operating EBITDA rose 10.6 per cent year-on-year to Rs.23.4 crore, indicating improving operational efficiency.

Commenting on the performance, Adil Zainulbhai, Chairman of Network18, said the company had once again demonstrated its ability to defy industry trends in a challenging macro environment. He added that the network remains optimistic that recent government measures to boost consumer spending will translate into higher consumption, benefiting media companies, while Network18 continues to focus on strengthening its position as India’s premier news destination.

During the quarter, Network18 also took several strategic steps to deepen its market leadership. The company expanded Creator18, its creator-led advertising vertical, to more than 60 exclusive creators. The top 10 creators together deliver an unduplicated reach of over two billion, enabling brands such as Swiggy, Quillbot, OpenAI and Samsung to build outreach across social platforms. Creator18 is also contributing to Network18’s own content slate, with its first creator-led show, Viral Baat Raunac Ke Saath, airing on News18 India and crossing three million views on YouTube.

The network further reinforced its presence in the English news segment by renewing its long-standing partnership with CNN International for another 10 years. Meanwhile, Moneycontrol continued to be a key growth driver, delivering twice the page views and over three times the time spent compared to its nearest competitor during the quarter. Moneycontrol Pro crossed one million paid subscribers, cementing its position as India’s largest digital news subscription platform, while Moneycontrol Super Pro continued to gain traction among premium users. The platform’s lending business also recorded strong growth, adding to overall performance.

Network18 retained its position as India’s number one news network, with TV viewership share rising 110 basis points year-on-year to 14.2 per cent. On digital platforms, the network reached around 300 million users every month, making it the country’s largest digital news and information network. Across television, Network18 continued to lead in Hindi, English, Marathi and Kannada markets, while maintaining strong positions in Bengali and several Hindi-speaking regions. Its portfolio of 20 news channels, including 14 regional channels, reaches over 230 million viewers every month, significantly ahead of the nearest competitor.

Within key genres, CNBC-TV18 remained the number one business news channel, News18 India led the Hindi news segment, and CNN-News18 continued to dominate English news. On the digital front, Network18 further strengthened its leadership on YouTube, recording over 100 per cent year-on-year growth and more than 2.5 times the video views of its nearest competitor, reinforcing its dominance across platforms.