News Broadcasting
NDS files countersuit against DirecTV, subsidiaries
LOS ANGELES (California): NDS has countersued DirecTV Enterprises and two of its subsidiaries, along with a chip manufacturer and its North American sales affiliate.
The countersuit alleges that DirecTV and the chip manufacturer misappropriated NDS’ trade secrets and proprietary information, conspired to infringe NDS’ patents, colluded to create unfair competition and breached agreements and licenses restricting the use of NDS’ intellectual property.
NDS claims that DirecTV has been secretly working with the chip manufacturer to develop a knock-off of NDS’ latest generation smart card for DirecTV that infringes NDS’ patents and misappropriates its technology for the last two years.
DirecTV, the biggest satellite television firm in the US had initiated legal action against NDS, the Middlesex supplier of smart cards that prevent pirating, in September. The lawsuit comes six months after Canal Plus Technologies (CPT) of France began a $3 billion legal action against NDS alleging it helped fund hackers who published secrets on the Internet about its pay-TV technology, say reports. The DirecTV suit, filed under seal in a US district court in Los Angeles, made a series of allegations against NDS including breach of contract, fraud, breach of warranty and misappropriation of trade secrets.
DirecTV on its part sought damages, the delivery of software which it claims is required by contract and an injunction to prevent any further breaches.
NDS, meanwhile, in its countersuit filed yesterday, has claimed that DirecTV induced the chip manufacturer to breach its agreements with NDS and that DirecTV has been leaking confidential information related to NDS’ smart card to pirate websites to give DirecTV an excuse to break its agreements and unveil its competing knockoff smart card. NDS has also sued DirecTV for negligence and breach of contract, claiming that DirecTV’s faulty distribution policies and gross mismanagement of satellite television piracy jeopardize NDS’ technology and resulted in widespread piracy of DirecTV’s service.
NDS has sought compensatory and punitive damages and an injunction prohibiting DirecTV and the chip manufacturer from producing the new smart card, infringing NDS’ patents and misappropriating its technology. It has also sought an injunction against DirecTV preventing it from soliciting NDS’ employees and from assuming control of its conditional access technology.
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.
