“Network18 posts 4th consecutive quarter of growth despite soft macro environment. Ad volumes continue to soar, beating industry growth rate. Moneycontrol is now India’s premier financial intelligence platform, with monthly lending doubling over the previous quarter.”
Network18 Media & Investments Limited announced its results for the quarter ended June 30, 2026 on Wednesday.
● Consolidated operating revenue for the quarter grew 10% YoY to Rs. 516 crores, despite the war and ratings blackout; 4th consecutive quarter of growth despite a continued soft macroeconomic environment
● Advertising business delivered a strong performance during the multiple state elections, garnering a significant share of advertising spends during the period
● Network18’s ad inventory consumption grew 10% YoY compared to only 3% for the industry, highlighting the strong position of the network across markets
● Industry growth driven mainly by government advertising while non-government advertising volumes declined 10%. For Network18, non-government ad volumes also grew on the back of a strong, diversified portfolio
● Network18 continued to be the #1 digital news/information network in India with a monthly reach of 350mn+ (Source: Comscore Total Digital Population Report, May’26).
● Total views across social platforms crossed 32 billion during the quarter, up 31% QoQ, and social footprint crossed 472 million followers.
● Network18 maintains clear dominance as the biggest news network on YouTube with 1.5x+ video views of the nearest competitor (Source: Playboard, Social Blade, Apr’26-Jun’26)
● On the day of election results, News18 India, CNN-News18 and News18 Bangla dominated their respective markets, recording the highest peak concurrencies/ average live concurrent viewers
● Moneycontrol continues to lead as its lending business maintained strong momentum, with the secured lending (Gold Loans, LAMF) partner network expanded to include leading names such as Muthoot, DSP Finance and Rupeek
Consolidated operating revenue for the quarter increased by 10.3% YoY to Rs. 516 crores. The network delivered a strong advertising revenue growth during the elections held in states like West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. While the demand for government advertising (Centre and State government campaigns, spends by political parties, PSUs) rose sharply for the industry, non-govt. advertising inventory declined by over 10% YoY. Corporate spends were impacted by the West Asia conflict and the forecast of a weak monsoon.
Network18’s non-govt. inventory consumption grew ~2%, helping the Company perform better than the industry. Network18 also saw a strong uptick in monetisation on Connected TV screens, which is emerging as an important revenue stream. Company’s diversified portfolio and strong positions across markets have helped it maintain revenue momentum even during a period when viewership ratings have been unavailable.
Growth in operating costs was primarily on account of the annual increments cycle completed during the first quarter this year compared to the second quarter last year. Other operating costs grew moderately, and EBITDA remained flattish mainly due to the impact of an increase in employee costs not present in the base.
Highlights
Network18 continues to be India’s #1 digital news network with the highest reach across the digital ecosystem and a clear leadership on social platforms, including YouTube.
Network18 continued to be the #1 reach digital news/information network in terms of Total Digital Population (including on Social platforms) with ~360mn monthly users, representing 76% reach in the segment (Source: ComScore Total Digital Population Report, May’26). Network18’s diverse portfolio of platforms – Moneycontrol, News18, Firstpost and CNBCTV18 – makes it one of the leading digital news publishers in India for consumers looking for news across genres.
Network18’s off-platform reach and engagement continued to top the charts as it maintained its status as India’s #1 news network across social platforms. It recorded over 6 billion video views on YouTube in the month of June, ~2x of the nearest competitor. Reach and engagement on Connected TVs continued to grow exponentially, highlighting the traction of the network on large screens. 360-degree coverage of multiple state elections was one of the key growth drivers of consumption, as Network18 reinforced its leadership across Hindi, English, and regional news on social platforms. On the day of election results, News18 India, CNN-News18 and News18 Bangla dominated their respective markets, recording the highest peak concurrencies or average live concurrent viewers. 15 of Network18 channels ranked #1 in their respective categories in June 2026, including CNBC AWAAZ, Moneycontrol, and multiple Hindi and regional news brands. Total views across social platforms crossed 32 billion during the quarter, up 31% QoQ, and social footprint crossed 472 million followers.
Moneycontrol continues to be India’s leading financial intelligence platform with comprehensive news coverage, analysis and expert opinions on the economy, businesses, capital markets, complemented by cutting-edge tools for investors/traders which help drive industry-leading engagement metrics. The platform had more than 3x Time-Spent and 2x Page Views compared to the nearest competitor. Moneycontrol Pro maintains its status as India’s largest digital news subscription platform with more than 1 million paid subscribers. It continues to add new product features to offer more value to its subscribers. In line with the same approach, it added ‘Portfolio X-Ray ’, which enables an in-depth analysis of a portfolio of stocks. The feature categorises all the stocks in a portfolio in terms of valuation ratings (Attractive, Reasonable, Expensive) and highlights any red flags that a stock in the portfolio may have, with an objective of providing Pro users with crisp analysis and clear actionable insights. Super Pro, the AI-powered premium subscription service that offers access to SEBI-registered Research Analysts, provides structured investment and trading advice across asset classes. The product continues to see a good subscriber addition and renewal rates above industry benchmarks. Moneycontrol’s fintech business maintained strong momentum during the quarter, driven by advanced data modelling that improved quality of leads, approval rates, and click-through rates. Partner network for secured lending (Gold Loans, LAMF) expanded to include Muthoot Finance, Muthoot Fincorp, Rupeek, and DSP Finance.
News18.com recorded an 8% increase in unique users sequentially and engagement strengthened as average session length increased by over 10%. During the recently held state elections, a revamped Election Analytics Centre was launched, featuring constituency- level insights, live data widgets, shareable result graphics, and AI-powered multilingual content generation. The feature led to a 2.5x engagement time on the homepage. A dedicated microsite for FIFA World Cup was launched featuring real-time updates, interactive data, and shareable visual content, creating an immersive football experience. Tech2, the popular technology-centred website, was relaunched with an AI-powered experience, combining intelligent assistance with editorial expertise. Hyperlocal coverage of Local18 contributed to nearly a quarter of the overall traffic, highlighting the importance and utility of the platform.
Firstpost continues to be the leading destination covering important global affairs with an Indian lens. It has built a strong and loyal audience base on YouTube with the channel’s subscriber count nearing 10 million. Firstpost delivered over 270 million video views on YouTube during the quarter, of which more than 50% were from outside India. Firstpost expanded its original content slate with new shows including explainer formats (The Link and The Blueprint), interview series with elite athletes (The Champion Code), premium lifestyle content (The Spend), and deep dive into major sporting stories (Sports Explainers).
Adil Zainulbhai, Chairman of Network18, said: “The quarter gone by was a mixed one, for us as well as the industry. While on one hand, state elections gave a boost to advertising revenue, the ongoing geopolitical conflict and weak monsoon forecast were dampeners for the macroeconomic mood. Government interventions on the viewership ratings have also been negative for the sentiments of the industry. Despite these developments, we are fully focused on making our products better by ensuring that they serve their consumers effectively, so that when the macro environment improves, we are in the right position to benefit from it.