DB Corp's ad revenue declines by 13.8% to Rs 384 crore, profit plunges by 57% in Q4 FY25

Media company DB Corp Ltd, also known as Dainik Bhaskar Group, registered a 13.8% decline in its consolidated advertisement revenue in the fourth quarter (Q4) of fiscal year 2025. The newspaper company clocked Rs 384 crore of ad revenue in Q4 FY25 compared to Rs 445.7 crore in the corresponding quarter last fiscal due to a high base of last year.

The advertising revenue from the radio business dwindled by 8.7% to Rs 37.6 crore in the January-March quarter FY25 versus Rs 41.2 crore in Q4 FY24.

Overall, DB Corp's ad revenue in FY25 stood at Rs 1,690 crore compared to Rs 1,752 crore in FY24. Notably, the ad revenue from the radio business in FY25 increased by 4.4% to Rs 166 crore in FY25.

DB Corp has expressed optimism regarding company's ad revenue. The print media corporation said, "While advertising revenues faced headwinds in Q4FY25, we are observing encouraging signs of recovery. We anticipate returning to our growth trajectory in the upcoming quarters".

The media company said that it delivered an advertisement revenue CAGR growth of 13% in the last 3-year period from Rs 1,182.7 crore in FY22 to Rs 1,690 crore in FY25.

DB Corp's standalone profit also plunged by 57.3% to Rs 52.3 crore in Q4 FY25. In the previous fiscal, the company clocked a profit of Rs 122.5 crore in Q4 due to the challenging geopolitical situation and Indian market conditions.

Revenue from operations also took a nosedive in the fourth quarter. The company's revenue from operations fell from Rs 617 crore in Q4 FY24 to Rs 547.6 crore in Q4 FY25.

On a consolidated basis, Dainik Bhaskar's net profit crumbled to Rs 52.3 crore in Q4 FY25 from Rs 122.5 crore in the corresponding quarter last fiscal.

According to the official statement by DB Corp, "While we maintained strong performance through the first nine months, the challenging global and resultant Indian market conditions in Q4 tempered our overall growth trajectory for FY25. The previous year's election-driven high base also affected YOY comparisons".

The newspaper company's circulation revenue stood at Rs 473.4 crore in FY25 as against Rs 479 crore in FY24. In Q4 FY25, the circulation revenue of the Noida-based firm was Rs 117.2 crore.

On the digital business of the company, DB Corp said the mobile application registered a growth from 20 lakh in January 2020 to approximately 2 crore in March 2025. The company attributed the digital growth to Hindi and Gujarati news apps.

"While global economic uncertainties linger, we expect India's robust consumption-driven growth to continue in the near to medium term on the back of certain positive triggers like the Income Tax benefit, implementation of the 8th Pay Commission, and the likelihood of a Normal Monsoon. We continue to remain focused on strengthening our market position and pursuing meaningful opportunities for expansion and innovation," Sudhir Agarwal, Managing Director, DB Corp Ltd, said.