Mumbai, May 20 -- The key domestic indices witnessed significant losses in afternoon trade, as investors booked profits despite supportive global cues. Market participants turned cautious ahead of the ongoing Q4 earnings season, which is expected to steer sentiment in the coming days. The Nifty slipped below the 24,750 mark after hitting day's high of 25,010 in early trade.

Media shares witnessing selling pressure for second consecutive trading session.

At 14:26 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, tumbled 779.91 points or 0.95% to 81,279.51. The Nifty 50 index fell 241.10 points or 0.97% to 24,706.25.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index fell 1.48% and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index shed 0.95%.

The market breadth wa...