News Broadcasting
Internet should not become the monopoly of few, IT minister tells Rajya Sabha
New Delhi: Days after the government passed sweeping regulations for social media platforms, union information technology minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told the Rajya Sabha on Thursday that any attempt to create ‘imperialism of the internet' by a few companies would not be tolerated.
Prasad was speaking during the question hour on the issue of the ban imposed on certain Twitter accounts. The NDA-led Centre was locked in a tussle with the social media giant over removal of certain accounts related to the ongoing farmers’ protests. Reiterating his earlier statements made in the Parliament, Prasad said the government welcomes dissent, but cannot allow misuse or abuse of social media.
Responding to a question raised by Congress legislator G C Chandrashekhar on the issue of arrest of climate activist Disha Ravi in the 'toolkit' document case, Prasad said India is proud to have nearly 140 crore social media users. LinkedIn, WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook have empowered ordinary Indians and they are free to do business in India, he maintained.
"The government welcomes dissent. The issue is not of the use of social media, the issue is of abuse and misuse of social media. The Internet is a powerful invention of the human mind, but it should not become the monopoly of a few. We have taken a position, any attempt to create imperialism of the internet by few companies is not acceptable”, said the union minister, who had also told the Parliament on Wednesday that the IT ministry had no proposal to set up a regulator for social media.
The Centre has recently notified Information Technology (Intermediaries Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 which apply to Facebook, Twitter, Google, and others. The guidelines enable the setting up of grievance redressal mechanisms and make these platforms more pliable in assisting government agencies in the investigation as well as taking down unlawful or fake content. The guidelines also make it mandatory for these platforms to identify the originator of a message that authorities consider to be anti-national and against the security and sovereignty of the country.
According to several experts, the laws though ‘well-intended’ could undermine the principles of open and accessible Internet and violate the right to privacy and free speech of users, particularly in the absence of robust data protection law.
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.
