Network18 Media & Investments Limited announced its Q3FY26 results, demonstrating resilience in a challenging advertising environment with standalone revenue growth of 5.04% year-on-year to ₹500.42 crore. The company maintained its position as India's #1 news network while navigating continued weakness in macro advertising conditions.

Standalone Financial Performance

The company's standalone operations showed mixed results with revenue growth offset by increased losses due to exceptional items.

Despite advertising inventory demand for the TV News industry declining by more than 10% year-on-year, Network18's inventory utilization decline was lower, enabling the company to deliver strong performance backed by its market positions and diversified portfolio across languages and platforms.

Consolidated Results Show Dramatic Improvement

The consolidated entity demonstrated remarkable recovery with significantly narrowed losses and improved nine-month performance.

The consolidated net loss narrowed dramatically to ₹5.29 crore from ₹1,399.91 crore in Q3FY25, representing a 99.62% improvement. For the nine months, the consolidated entity achieved a net profit of ₹184.81 crore compared to a loss of ₹1,747.58 crore in the corresponding period.

Market Leadership Across Platforms

Network18 strengthened its position as India's premier news destination with significant market share gains across television and digital platforms.

The company's portfolio of 20 channels continues to be the largest TV news network in India, reaching over 230 million people monthly. Network18 maintained leadership in key markets including CNBC-TV18 (43.1% share in business news), News18 India (13.2% share in Hindi news), and CNN-News18 (36.1% share in English news).

Exceptional Items and Corporate Developments

Several significant developments impacted the quarter's financial performance.

The company renewed its partnership with CNN International for 10 years, encompassing strategic digital presence covering global markets. Creator18, Network18's new vertical, expanded its roster with more than 60 creators on exclusive basis.

Digital Platform Strength

Network18's digital ecosystem continued to demonstrate strong performance across all major platforms. Moneycontrol maintained its position as India's largest digital news subscription platform with over 1 million paid subscribers. The platform had 2x page views and more than 3x time-spent compared to the nearest competitor during the quarter.

News18.com enhanced its offerings with new features including 'Clip & Share', Quiz/Poll series, 'Audible News', and utility-rich city pages. Firstpost crossed 9 million YouTube subscribers and delivered over 2 billion video views in 2025, representing 30% year-on-year growth.

Network 18 Media , India's largest news network, has announced the renewal of its strategic partnership with CNN International for its flagship English news channel, CNN-News18. The brand and content licensing agreement has been extended for another decade, running until December 31, 2035.

Partnership Evolution and Timeline

This renewal marks the third phase of a successful collaboration that spans two decades. The partnership timeline demonstrates sustained growth and commitment between both organizations:

The latest agreement represents the most comprehensive collaboration yet, incorporating significant digital expansion beyond traditional television broadcasting.

Enhanced Digital Strategy

The renewed partnership introduces a strategic digital component designed to reach global audiences. CNN-News18 will expand its digital footprint to international markets through multiple platforms:

• YouTube presence in global markets
• Connected TV (CTV) expansion
• Cross-platform content delivery for seamless viewing experiences
• Digital-ready content production for broadcast and online platforms

Rahul Joshi, Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of Network18 Group, emphasized the significance of this development: "This renewed partnership represents a landmark, one-of-a-kind collaboration in global news. The TV news partnership that has flourished for two decades will now open doors to new avenues of growth, including an expanded presence on digital and connected TV."

Strategic Market Position

The partnership strengthens CNN-News18's position as India's leading English news channel, particularly during major news events and critical news cycles. The channel has recently undergone an on-air refresh featuring enhanced visual aesthetics to improve viewer experience.

Phil Nelson, Executive Vice President of CNN International Commercial, highlighted the partnership's importance: "Having a network of strong affiliate partners has been core to CNN since our very founding in 1980. We are delighted to extend our long-term partnership with Network18 for the continuation of the licensing of the CNN brand and the expansion of one of our largest and most prominent affiliates worldwide."

Infrastructure and Operations

CNN-News18 operates from a state-of-the-art facility in the New Delhi region, supported by nationwide bureaus and Network18's advanced broadcast infrastructure. The channel maintains a comprehensive news-gathering technology system and employs a top-tier editorial and production team.

Network18 plans to increase investments in CNN-News18's digital capabilities, technology infrastructure, and editorial resources to strengthen market leadership and expand reach both domestically and internationally.

About Network18

Network18 operates as India's largest omni-channel news network, encompassing 20 television channels across more than 12 languages and seven digital news platforms in 13 languages. The network includes prominent channels such as CNN-News18, News18 India, CNBC-TV18, and 14 regional channels, along with leading digital properties including News18.com, CNBCTV18.com, and Moneycontrol.com.