Indian broadcaster NDTV posts Q3 loss on elevated costs

Network18 Media & Investments

28/01/2026 14:34

Jan 28 (Reuters) - India's New Delhi Television NDTV.NS posted its ninth-straight quarterly loss on Wednesday, as the news broadcaster's higher expenses continued to pressure margins.

The broadcaster, in which ports-to-energy conglomerate Adani Group owns a 69.02% stake, has been investing in newly launched TV channels and infrastructure, such as NDTV World and NDTV Marathi, alongside other programs and events, which has kept margins under pressure.

NDTV reported a 20.9% surge in expenses due to higher operating, production and marketing costs, outpacing a 13.3% increase in revenue from operations to 1.5 billion rupees, driven by its expanding channel portfolio.

Additionally, Indian consumer goods makers, who typically spend the most on television advertising, have reined in their spending due to muted demand amid rising costs of living.

Reliance group-controlled Network18 Media NEFI.NS, which owns both news and entertainment channels, flagged a weak advertising environment, saying TV news ad inventory demand fell more than 10% year-on-year during the quarter.

Zee Enterprises ZEE.NS, which runs entertainment channels, also reported a decline in ad revenue amid soft advertising conditions.

The company reported a loss of 802.5 million rupees ($8.72 million) in the October-December quarter, compared to a loss of 556.9 million rupees a year earlier.

NDTV did not disclose its ad revenue for the quarter.

The company's shares closed up 1.8% ahead of results on Wednesday.

Other rivals, TV Today Network TVTO.NS and Zee Media Corporation ZEEN.NS, are yet to report their results.

($1 = 92.0100 Indian rupees)

 (Reporting by Aleef Jahan in Bengaluru; Editing by Sonia Cheema and Vijay Kishore)

 ((aleefjahan.cs@thomsonreuters.com))