News Broadcasting
Abetment case: Arnab Goswami’s bail plea deferred to Saturday
NEW DELHI: The hearing of Arnab Goswami’s habeas corpus petition in connection to the 2018 abetment to suicide case has been further deferred to Saturday, 7 November 2020 in lieu of paucity of time.
The Republic TV editor-in-chief will have to face a third night in custody and wait for the special hearing at noon tomorrow.
The bench comprising of Justice SS Shinde and MS Karnik said that it will hear the state government and complainant Adnya Naik, the daughter of deceased Anvay Naik, who in his suicide note named Arnab Goswami as one of the people responsible for his decision to end his life.
There are two more petitions filed by the two other accused in the 2018 case and the bench said they “will also be heard.”
Goswami was arrested from his Mumbai home on the morning of 4 November, following which he was remanded in 14-day judicial custody.
Goswami had moved the Supreme Court stating that his arrest was illegal and the decisively closed case was reopened “with the sole purpose of misusing power, concocting facts and forcefully arresting the petitioner in a prima facie act of revenge and vengeance for his news coverage which questioned those in power in the state of Maharashtra.”
The first hearing of the plea took place on Thursday, wherein Goswami was denied interim relief by the court before hearing all the parties.
Later in the day, CJIM Alibaug stated that Goswami’s arrest was “illegal” as “victim’s death was not clearly connected with the accused.”
The order said, “The investigating officer on 15 October 2020 only submitted a report to the magistrate informing that certain fresh material has come to the fore in the case. There is no record to show that the magistrate permitted reopening of the case.”
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.
