Network18
Network18 is a publicly listed Indian media company majority-owned by Reliance Industries, operating 20 television news channels and 4 digital platforms reaching 771 million TV viewers and 330 million monthly digital users across India.
- Company typePublic
- Founded1993
- HeadquartersNew Delhi, India
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Network18 does
Network18 Media & Investments Ltd is a publicly listed Indian media and entertainment company (NSE: NETWORK18) founded in 1993 and majority-owned by Reliance Industries as part of the integrated JioStar media and entertainment ecosystem alongside Jio Studios and the merged Disney-Star India operations. The company operates 20 television news channels across national and regional Indian languages and 4 digital platforms, reaching 771 million TV viewers and approximately 330 million monthly unique digital visitors. Its product portfolio includes the flagship CNN-News18 English news channel operated under a partnership with CNN International (renewed through 2035), Moneycontrol Pro — India's largest digital news subscription platform with over 1 million paid subscribers — and Firstpost as a digital news property, with Creator18 incubated as a creator economy venture.
Network18 generates revenue across four primary streams: television advertising (inventory across 20 news channels), digital advertising (websites, apps, YouTube, and Connected TV), subscription revenue (Moneycontrol Pro), and content licensing (including the long-running CNN-News18 brand arrangement). In FY26 the company posted Rs 2,148.46 crore (~US$257M) in consolidated income and Rs 155.20 crore in profit, with Q4 FY26 revenue up 9.7% YoY. On the technology side, Network18 has modernized its news playout infrastructure with Grass Valley's AMPP OS-based Playout X solution deployed across facilities in Noida and Mumbai, consolidating fragmented broadcast workflows into a unified linear/OTT/web platform. The company is exploring AI-assisted content production through Reliance's JAMS (GenAI Media Studio) initiative and conversational discovery tools, while maintaining an active regulatory posture through TRAI consultations on FAST channels and advertising caps.
Network18 firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Network18
- Legal name
- Network18 Media & Investments Ltd
- Website
- http://www.nw18.com/
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 1993
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- Network18 is a publicly listed Indian media company majority-owned by Reliance Industries, operating 20 television news channels and 4 digital platforms reaching 771 million TV viewers and 330 million monthly digital users across India.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Network18 industry classification
Industry- Product category
- News Broadcasting & Digital Media
- NAICS
- Television Broadcasting Stations (516120), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (5162), Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations (5161)
- SIC
- Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)
- akta.pro primary industry
- National Broadcast News Networks (MPABAAAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- 24/7 National & International News Channels (MPABAIAA), News Agencies & Wire Services (General & Specialized) (MPAJADAE), National & Regional Sports TV Networks (Linear) (MPABAJAA)
Keywords
Where Network18 is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New Delhi
- HQ country
- India
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices3 records
Markets served
Network18 business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations
Revenue model
- Television Advertising: Primary revenue stream from TV advertising inventory sales across 20 news channels, maintaining inventory growth of 4.5% despite 10% industry-wide decline in demand. News business operating EBITDA stood at Rs 11.8 crore with margins expanding to 2.4% from 1.5% sequentially.
- Digital Advertising: Revenue from digital platforms including websites, apps, YouTube, and Connected TV (CTV) with monthly digital reach of approximately 300 million users. Moneycontrol Pro remained India's largest digital news subscription platform with over 1 million paid subscribers.
- Subscription Revenue: Moneycontrol Pro subscription service generating revenue as India's largest digital news subscription platform with over 1 million paid subscribers.
- Content Licensing: Revenue from content licensing arrangements including CNN-News18 brand and content partnership renewed until 2035, and partnerships with international broadcasters and streaming platforms.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
Network18 product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Network18 is India's largest news network, operating 20 television news channels across national and regional Indian languages and 4 digital news platforms. The company produces and distributes 24-hour news, business, sports, and entertainment content across linear TV, digital websites/apps, YouTube, Connected TV (CTV), and OTT, complemented by the Moneycontrol Pro subscription service for premium financial news and brand partnerships such as CNN-News18.
Product overview
Network18 is an omni-channel media company operating as part of Reliance Industries' integrated media ecosystem (alongside JioStar and Jio Studios). The company operates a portfolio of 20 television news channels across national and regional languages, alongside 4 digital news platforms including CNN-News18 (under a long-standing partnership with CNN International renewed until 2035), Firstpost, and Moneycontrol Pro (India's largest digital news subscription platform with over 1 million paid subscribers). The company reaches 771 million TV viewers and approximately 330 million digital unique visitors per month, making it India's largest news network.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Moneycontrol Pro: India's largest digital news subscription platform with over 1 million paid subscribers
- Firstpost
- Creator18
Quantifiable outcome
- 771 million TV viewers and 330 million monthly digital users
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Network18
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Network18 technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Network18 partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Grass ValleycoreNetwork18 deployed Grass Valley's Playout X solution to modernize its news playout operations across linear, OTT, and web services. The deployment consolidated previously multiple vendor solutions into a single AMPP OS-based platform across facilities in Noida and Mumbai, replacing fragmented broadcast workflows. The unified approach simplifies operations, reduces costs, and positions the company for future growth, extending a collaboration spanning more than 15 years.
- CNN International (Warner Bros. Discovery)coreNetwork18 renewed its partnership with CNN International for CNN-News18 channel for another decade until December 31, 2035, marking the third decade of collaboration. The partnership, originally forged in 2005 and previously renewed in 2015, now includes deeper digital expansion into international markets through YouTube and Connected TV platforms. Network18 plans to further invest in CNN-News18's digital, technological, and editorial capabilities.
- Top Educational Institutions (India)minorNetwork18 launched the NextGen Young Leadership Program (NYLP) to nurture young talent from top educational institutions in India. The program provides participants with live business challenges, cross-platform exposure, and mentorship to prepare them for careers in media-tech and related sectors.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Network18 competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- ABP Network: Operates ABP News, ABP Ananda, and ABP Majha across Hindi, Bengali, and Marathi news; a regional-language news competitor overlapping directly with Network18's portfolio of 20 channels across national and regional markets.
- Zee Media Corporation: Operates Zee News, Zee Business, and WION — competing English and Hindi business news channels that overlap directly with Network18's CNN-News18 and Moneycontrol verticals for advertiser share and audience attention.
- DB Corp: Publisher of Dainik Bhaskar and Divya Bhaskar across Hindi and regional markets; comparable in regional-language news audience reach and multi-platform advertising monetization.
- NDTV (New Delhi Television): Operates NDTV 24x7, NDTV India, and NDTV Profit — a flagship English/Hindi/business news competitor now under Adani Group ownership, comparable in audience positioning to Network18's CNN-News18 and regional portfolio.
- Jagran Prakashan: Publisher of Dainik Jagran (India's largest read Hindi newspaper) and News18 Hindi competitor; comparable multi-platform Hindi news and advertising model with significant digital reach.
- Times Network (Bennett Coleman & Co.): Bennett Coleman's broadcast arm operates Times Now, ET Now, and Mirror Now; competes head-to-head with CNN-News18 for English news audiences and advertiser dollars, and benefits from the same Times of India content ecosystem.
- Republic Media Network: Operates Republic TV and Republic Bharat, an English/Hindi news broadcaster with comparable advertising inventory and a similarly digital-first distribution strategy targeting the same Hindi and English news audiences as Network18.
- TV Today Network: Operates Aaj Tak (Hindi) and India Today (English) news channels, which are the closest direct competitors to Network18's Hindi and English news properties in Indian linear TV. Both vie for the same advertiser budgets and Hindi-speaking news audience.
Broad incumbents
- HT Media (Hindustan Times): Operates Hindustan Times, Mint, and Hindustan (Hindi) along with radio and digital properties; broader incumbent publisher with overlapping digital news and advertising inventory competing against Network18's English and Hindi news verticals.
- Sun TV Network: India's largest regional-language broadcasting group spanning Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam; broader incumbent in Indian broadcasting that competes for regional advertising budgets and audience share, particularly in South India where Network18 also operates.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Network18 social profiles
Digital presenceNetwork18 financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Network18 leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Network18 subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
Network18 funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Network18 M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments9 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Network18
What does Network18 do?
Network18 is India's largest news network, operating 20 television news channels across national and regional Indian languages and 4 digital news platforms. The company produces and distributes 24-hour news, business, sports, and entertainment content across linear TV, digital websites/apps, YouTube, Connected TV (CTV), and OTT, complemented by the Moneycontrol Pro subscription service for premium financial news and brand partnerships such as CNN-News18.
Is Network18 a public or private company?
Network18 is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Network18 founded?
Network18 was founded in 1993. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is Network18 based?
Network18 is headquartered in New Delhi, India, in the Asia region.
How does Network18 make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Television Advertising is the primary driver. The others are digital Advertising, subscription Revenue and content Licensing.
Who are Network18's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are ABP Network, Zee Media Corporation, DB Corp, NDTV (New Delhi Television), Jagran Prakashan, Times Network (Bennett Coleman & Co.), Republic Media Network and TV Today Network. Broad incumbents are HT Media (Hindustan Times) and Sun TV Network.
Does Network18 have an API?
No public API is recorded for Network18.
What industry is Network18 in?
Network18's product category is News Broadcasting & Digital Media. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPABAAAB, National Broadcast News Networks, with a secondary code of MPABAIAA, 24/7 National & International News Channels. Its NAICS code is 516120 and its SIC code is 4833.