We have continued to move forward by keeping our focus on content: Rahul Joshi

As 2025 draws close to an end, Network18 Managing Director & Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi, in a year-end communication to employees, reflected on the company’s performance over the year, noting that while many media companies struggled, the group managed to deliver a strong showing.

“Last year was particularly difficult for media companies that are dependent only on advertising,” he said, adding that many news organisations not only saw revenues decline but also lost audiences.

Despite the headwinds, Joshi said the company stayed resilient by focusing on content, creators and subscriptions. “We have continued to move forward by keeping our focus on content and the creator ecosystem,” he said. Highlighting the launch of Creator18, he added that the initiative was designed to expand reach and relevance, allowing both creators and platforms to grow together.

On the state of traditional advertising, Rahul said the slowdown and consolidation across the industry have made legacy revenue models increasingly fragile. “As traditional advertising slows and the industry consolidates, our business model has protected us,” he said, pointing to the rapid growth of the company’s subscriber base, transaction-led businesses and new initiatives such as Creator18, alongside revenue from events, IPs and campaigns.

Speaking about the group’s business news platforms, Rahul said CNBC-TV18 and Moneycontrol have consciously moved away from click-driven content. “Through CNBC-TV18 and Moneycontrol, we are not doing click-baity content, but offering high-quality tools, research and insights,” he said, adding that premium products such as CNBC-TV18 Prime, Access, MC Pro and SuperPro have helped attract high-value subscribers and improve average revenue per user.

Commenting on the evolving nature of news consumption, Rahul said traditional formats are fast losing relevance, especially among younger audiences. “Gen Z is not reading newspapers, not watching television and not visiting websites—they are consuming content on reels and social platforms,” he said, stressing the need for media brands to adapt their storytelling and formats accordingly.

He also pointed to the growing impact of technology on journalism, noting that artificial intelligence will reshape how news is produced and delivered. “News is fast getting replaced by nuance and nous,” Rahul said, adding that AI will disrupt conventional models and make intelligence and judgment the real differentiators going forward.