NDTV Q1 Results: Loss Widens to Rs 46.75 cr on Higher Production Costs

On Monday, Indian broadcaster NDTV announced a larger first-quarter deficit, with rising expenditures outweighing earnings from political commercials during the country's general elections.   The Adani Group-owned news broadcaster recorded a loss of Rs 46.75 crore ($5.6 million) in April-June, compared to a loss of Rs 8.13 crore the previous year.

Quarterly spending increased by around 77%, with production costs, one of the broadcasters' largest expenses, increasing by 80% and marketing spending for a newly formed regional channel doubling.

Advertising, a news channel's primary source of revenue, has been weakened for more than a year as businesses cut down on marketing spending due to high inflation, causing NDTV and Reliance Industries-owned Network18 Media to suffer a series of losses.

Network18 said earlier this month that the general elections, which took place from April to June, helped them. After five consecutive quarters of revenue declines, NDTV's income increased by 34% to Rs 93.92 crore thanks to political commercials.

In an effort to catch up to and compete with Network18 and Zee Media, NDTV has created additional channels, such as NDTV Profit, after the Adani Group acquired it in late 2022.

Following the announcement, NDTV shares saw no movement and closed 0.5% down.