News Broadcasting
Movie channel ban: Govt. plans interim measure
NEW DELHI: The Indian government is likely to come up with an interim plan to put some cooling balm on movie channels, which have been up against a wall in Mumbai due to a court ban on airing of `A’ certified movies.
According to an official of the information and broadcasting ministry, in about a fortnight’s time “some interim measure” relating to movie channels would be put in place to ease the problem.
“We are aware of the difficulties being faced (by movie channels). Some sort of an interim measure should be announced in the next 10-12 days,” the official said.
However, the official admitted that the censor board is hamstrung by inadequate manpower to quickly re-certify all movies lined up by movie channels over the next two to three months.
In the third week of August, the Bombay High Court ruled that broadcasters, including direct-to-home (DTH) service providers, could not air movies with ‘A’ certificates.
The High Court bench, headed by Justice Lodha, had also pulled up the cable operators for their action of discontinuing transmission of all channels in Mumbai after the court ban.
The court also specified that broadcasters, including foreign channels uplinking from outside India, have to obtain certificate from the Indian censor board before they air any movies.
The affected channels belatedly petitioned the government to find some solution ahead of the festive season, which got flagged off with Dasher on 2 October, when corporate houses splurge advertising money on television.
One of the options being toyed is to give channels some migration time to re-certify movies, especially in the light of slow working of the censor board.
The nine channels affected by the court ban include Zee Cinema, Star Movies, HBO, Filmy, Star Gold, AXN and SET Max. The channels, however, can technically function normally in other parts of the country.
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.
