News Broadcasting
16 transferred from DD News to AIR
NEW DELHI: Even as the debate on the fate of DD News continues in political and government circles, 16 senior people associated with the channel have been transferred to sister concern All India Radio.
The transfer orders, which came two days ago, were with immediate effect, according to officials in Doordarshan. There is also no proposal to replace the people shunted out of the news channel re-launched October last by the previous government. Most of those given the sideways swipe are at assistant news editor and news editor level.
Interestingly, out of the 16 people (all belonging to the Indian Information Service) transferred, 11 belonged to DD’s Delhi centre, while the others are located in various parts of the country. It is alleged by the IIS lobby that since outsiders like consulting editor Deepak Chaurasia could not get along well with the government officials, the transfers have been done.
While confirming the transfer of personnel to AIR, a DD official, however, tried to play it down terming the moves as “routine”. “DD News did not have so many posts and the people were given to us by AIR when the news channel was started. In a routine procedure, they have been transferred back to their original posting,” the official said.
It is this reverting of personnel to original postings that has created a flutter within Prasar Bharati, which runs DD and AIR, as speculation is rife that these transfers are but a precursor to the closure of the news channel whose ratings have fallen. Though, DD News mandarins will argue that the rating agencies do not do their job fairly because DD’s terrestrial reach is ignored.
More interestingly, had the IIS officials concerned been sent out of town from their present postings, a clearance from the information and broadcasting ministry would have been needed. All the movements have been laterally made to AIR in the same city and for which Prasar Bharati needs no clearance from the ministry.
The IIS lobby has been upset from the time professionals like Chaurasia and Saleha Wasim (formerly with NDTV when it was managing Star News) had been hired for DD News from other channels. Some others followed Chaurasia from Aaj Tak as well.
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.
