WillItSurvive
Broadcast and traditional media · subsidiary of Aditya Birla Group (co-controlled via IGH Holdings stake since 2013; Purie family retains operational control) · India

Living Media India Limited (India Today Group)

indiatoday.in ↗

India's top Hindi-English news TV and digital publisher behind India Today and Aaj Tak.

Losing its protection
Assessed 30 July 2026 · Evidence as of 30 July 2026
The structural protection is eroding.
On the recordSince 30 July 2026 · Checkable from early August 2026 · Every call on the record Checkpoint: TV Today Network Q1 FY27 quarterly results release
The call

A decades-old news brand with legal protection from foreign ownership is still shrinking fast as ad money and audience both slide toward richer rivals and AI-driven search.

Living Media India owns India Today and Aaj Tak, major TV news channels and websites that reach about 70 million people on YouTube. The company is hard to replace because it has old broadcast licenses that the Indian government protects and a famous brand name built over five decades. But it is getting squeezed from two sides: Network18, a company backed by Reliance, is already bigger and growing, and Google and Meta now capture most of the advertising money that used to go to news outlets. The company's profits fell 75 to 81 percent in the last year and it laid off about 120 people in July 2026. The one thing that could change this picture is if the company can stop losing money on ads faster than its competitors do, or if it finds new ways to make money that do not depend on ads.

Why
01
AI pressure: Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity. AI answer tools now summarize news directly in search, pulling readers away before they ever reach India Today's pages. Could AI do the core job? Only partly.
02
Bigger players: Network18 (Reliance-backed). Network18 has overtaken TV Today Network as #1 in Hindi news by BARC audience share, pushing the company to #2. Could a giant copy it? Probably.
03
What protects it. A 26% FDI cap on Indian broadcast licenses, a 50-year brand, and Aaj Tak's 70M+ YouTube subscriber base built over decades.
What would change this call
TV Today Network Q1 FY27 results (due early August 2026) show revenue decline vs prior quarters. Whether the FY26 ad-revenue collapse is stabilizing or continuing to worsen.
Additional layoff rounds at India Today/Aaj Tak beyond the July 2026 cuts of ~120 staff. Whether cost-cutting is a one-time reset or a sign of sustained structural decline.
Next BARC audience-share data showing India Today/Aaj Tak rank versus Network18, Times Now Navbharat, Republic. Whether the company is losing further ground to better-funded domestic rivals.
Key numbers
  • FY26 revenue ₹808.70 crore, down 18.5% YoY (2026-03-31)
  • FY26 net profit ₹20.24 crore, down 75.5% YoY (2026-03-31)
  • ~120 staff laid off in one week, July 2026 (2026-07-24)
Named risks
  • FY26 revenue fell 18.5% and net profit collapsed 75-81% YoY amid ad market pressure. Severity: high
  • July 2026 layoffs of ~120 staff described by employees as possibly the first of further rounds. Severity: high
  • Google/Meta capture over 70% of India's digital ad spend, structurally squeezing publisher revenue. Severity: high
  • Radio business losses cited as a continuing drag on FY26 results. Severity: medium
  • AI answer engines reduce click-through to news publishers, threatening digital traffic monetization. Severity: medium
Rivals, as read in July 2026
RivalDirectionEvidence
Network18losing toReliance-backed Network18 led news audience share with 202,636 AMA(000s) vs TV Today's 110,826 as of week 02'25
Times Now Navbharatlosing toTopped Hindi news OTS at 98.45% vs Aaj Tak's 97.97% (rank #3) as of July 16, 2026
Republic TVlosing toLed English news OTS distribution while India Today ranked #4 at 71.28% as of July 16, 2026
NDTVlosing toSenior staff reportedly departed India Today Group for NDTV, per July 27, 2026 report
Google/Metalosing toCommand over 70% of India's digital ad spend, structurally diverting revenue from traditional publishers like India Today Group
Zee MediacontestingZee News trails narrowly behind Aaj Tak in Hindi OTS rankings, 98.38% vs 97.97%, July 2026
Questions people ask
Is Living Media India (India Today Group) profitable in 2026?
Yes but barely and shrinking fast. TV Today Network's FY26 (year to March 31, 2026) net profit fell 75.5% YoY to about 20.24 crore, with revenue down 18.5% to 808.70 crore, per results reported May 15, 2026.
Did India Today Group lay off employees in 2026?
Yes. Around 120 staff were dismissed between July 20 and 24, 2026, mostly from Aaj Tak's Hindi digital team, video editing, graphics, fact-checking and the Data Intelligence Unit, per Newslaundry's July 27, 2026 report.
Could AI replace jobs at India Today Group?
AI is already reshaping the newsroom: the group built an AI workflow tool called Pragya with Google and unveiled an AI news anchor, Sutra, on February 17, 2026. The July 2026 layoffs concentrated in exactly the digital/production functions AI tools target.
Who owns Living Media India Limited / India Today Group?
It is jointly controlled by the Purie family and IGH Holdings, an Aditya Birla Group investment vehicle that acquired a stake in 2013. Aroon Purie remains Chairman and Editor-in-Chief; daughter Kallie Purie took operational control as Vice-Chairperson in October 2017.
Who is India Today Group's biggest competitor?
Reliance-backed Network18 leads by BARC audience share, with 202,636 AMA(000s) versus TV Today's 110,826 as of week 02'25, putting TV Today second. Times Now Navbharat and Republic also outrank India Today's channels in July 2026 distribution data.
What is TV Today Network's market value in 2026?
TV Today Network Ltd, the publicly listed broadcast arm of India Today Group, had a market capitalization of roughly 6,886 crore (about US$830 million) as of July 30, 2026, per gurufocus.com.
Timeline
  • 2026-07-27Newslaundry reports ~120 staff dismissed at India Today Group with net profit down 81% to ~14 crore
  • 2026-07-24Mass layoffs of ~120 employees conclude, concentrated in Aaj Tak digital, video, graphics, fact-checking
  • 2026-07-16Aaj Tak ranks #3 in Hindi news OTS (97.97%); India Today #4 in English OTS (71.28%)
  • 2026-05-15TV Today Network reports FY26 net profit down 75.5% to 20.24 crore, revenue down 18.5% to 808.70 crore
  • 2026-05Board approves 50 lakh investment to revive Mail Today print brand
  • 2026-02-17India Today Group unveils AI news anchor 'Sutra' at India AI Impact Summit
  • 2025-01-23BARC data shows Network18 #1 in news audience share, TV Today #2 ahead of Zee and Republic
  • 2017-10Kallie Purie becomes Vice-Chairperson, assumes operational control
  • 2013Aditya Birla Group's IGH Holdings acquires stake in Living Media India
  • 1975India Today magazine brand founded by the Purie family
Revision history
30 July 2026
First assessed. Losing its protection. The text above is fixed as of this date and is not edited afterwards.
In the same band
Paramount SkydanceComcastLive Nation Entertainment
More in Broadcast and traditional media →
Sources