Network18

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.

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

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

• Television news broadcasting
• Digital news platforms
• News media network
• Financial news subscription
• Regional language news

Headquarters

HQ city

New Delhi

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Subscription Revenue: Moneycontrol Pro subscription service generating revenue as India's largest digital news subscription platform with over 1 million paid subscribers.
4. 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

Core 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

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Grass ValleycoreTechnology or Integration · 17 February 2026Network18 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)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 January 2026Network18 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)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 December 2025Network18 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

Direct 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

• Xx.com/Network18Group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments9 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Network18