News Broadcasting
Apology for ‘India TV’s dispute with CCL’ report
Indiantelevision.com carried a report on 15 February, 2008, under the headline ‘India TV settles CCL dues, to move to new premises by November-end.’
The report correctly states that India TV has settled its dues to CCL, while the headline wrongly implies that it would be vacating the premises by November 2008, when in fact the news channel will be moving out by November 2009.
Additionally, the following inadvertent errors also crept into the report, which have been brought to our notice by India TV:
* That the issue of dispute between CCL and India TV was one of “overdue rent when in fact the channel has regularly and unfailingly paid what was due and had repeatedly brought to CCL’s notice vide emails and all other means the equipment and services that had not been put into place despite lease rentals being paid vide cheques.”
* That, in specific terms, the article claims that ‘more than Rs 6 crore were not paid by the channel (India TV) in terms of rent for the premises and as the hi-tech digital newsroom that CCL (Century Communications Ltd) has also rented to the channel’, when the facts, as enshrined in the MoU clearly bear out the channel’s position, including a substantial amount exceeding Rs 2 crore being deleted from CCL’s original claims, confirming thereby, that key equipment and services had indeed not been made available to India TV; and the fact that India TV had to independently acquire the above mentioned digital newsroom at a huge cost.
* That by repeating a wild allegation made by CCL officials in a press conference claiming that the lives of the CCL owners had been threatened by India TV and that they had written to the Union Home Minister for protection, indiantelevision.com has lent credence to a preposterous claim which CCL chose not to substantiate with even a shred of evidence.
Indiantelevision.com regrets the inadvertent errors and apologises to Independent News Service Pvt Ltd, owners of Hindi news channel India TV, and states for the record that it has no intention of dishonouring or bringing to disrepute either India TV or its founder Rajat Sharma.
News Broadcasting
Network18 Q4 revenue grows 9.7 per cent, EBITDA at Rs 30 crore
PAT improves to Rs 306.6 crore, margins steady amid cost pressures.
MUMBAI: Not all news is breaking, some of it is quietly improving. Network18 Media & Investments Limited appears to be doing just that, tightening losses and stabilising margins even as costs continue to weigh on the business. For FY26, the company reported revenue from operations of Rs 1,955.1 crore, up from Rs 1,896.2 crore in FY25, signalling modest top-line growth in a challenging media environment. Total income stood at Rs 1,978.2 crore, compared to Rs 1,913 crore a year earlier.
Profit after tax came in at Rs 306.6 crore for the year, a sharp turnaround from Rs 3,225.4 crore in FY25, largely reflecting the absence of large exceptional items that had inflated the previous year’s numbers. On a more comparable basis, the company’s operating performance showed signs of gradual stabilisation.
However, the quarterly picture remained under pressure. For the March quarter, Network18 reported a loss of Rs 53.1 crore, narrower than the Rs 98.1 crore loss in the same period last year, but still indicative of ongoing cost challenges.
Expenses continued to track high. Total expenses for FY26 stood at Rs 2,235.7 crore, up from Rs 2,197.8 crore in FY25. Key cost heads included operational expenses of Rs 765.9 crore, employee benefits of Rs 475.9 crore, and marketing, distribution and promotional spends of Rs 427.1 crore, underlining the continued investment required to sustain reach and engagement.
At an operating level, margins remained under strain. Operating margin stood at 2.33 per cent for FY26, marginally higher than 1.77 per cent in FY25, while net profit margin remained negative at -13.02 per cent, though improved from -14.89 per cent.
On the balance sheet, total assets rose to Rs 8,957.6 crore as of 31 March 2026, from Rs 8,317.5 crore a year earlier. Equity strengthened to Rs 4,958.7 crore, while borrowings increased to Rs 3,112.8 crore, reflecting a higher reliance on debt to support operations.
Cash flows told a mixed story. While financing activities generated Rs 83.9 crore, operating cash flow remained negative at Rs -24 crore, highlighting ongoing pressure on core cash generation. Cash and cash equivalents, however, improved to Rs 33.9 crore from Rs 1.8 crore.
The numbers point to a company in transition growing revenues, trimming losses, but still grappling with structural cost pressures. In a sector where scale often comes at a price, Network18 seems to be inching towards balance, one quarter at a time.
