News Broadcasting
…And a PIL against cable ops, broadcasters, government
MUMBAI: BJP member of parliament (MP) Kirit Somaiya is sending out a message that he means business. Apart from announcing on 15 February that he would be filing a criminal case against the TV trade, he said that he, along with other BJP MLAs Mangal Prabhat Lodha, Atul Shah and Sandeep Joshi of Mumbai Cable Grahak Sangh, will file a public interest litigation (PIL) against 12 respondents. These include the Maharashtra government agencies, central government’s I&B ministry, broadcasters, MSOs (multi service operators) and cable operators.
While addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters in Mumbai, Somaiya alleged that the governments (state and central) have failed to protect the consumer interest and allowed broadcasters and pay channels to arbitrarily increase pay channel charges. He says that the broadcasters have hiked rates tremendously within the past year.
Somaiya stated that the various departments of the state government had not initiated action against the errant cable operators and MSOs who collected money from the consumers but failed to deposit the same in the government kitty.
“More than 50 per cent of TV sets in Mumbai are capable of showing only 10 channels but the unscrupulous cable operators and MSOs collect the entire amount for 60 plus channels,” said Somaiya.
Somaiya added that cable ops and the MSOs didn’t provide technology which would enable people to view what they desired. He however added that the conditional access system which is to be implemented by July 2003 under a government order would address these issues.
Somaiya also disclosed that one of the petitions made in this PIL would urge the state government to ensure that the entertainment tax is levied on a pro-rata basis. “Why should black and white TV owners give the same tax as those who have sophisticated TV sets for watching 100 channels,” asks Somaiya.
Somaiya has cautioned consumers against paying cable operators in advance for a year’s subscription.
“It is possible that some of these cable operators will not even exist post conditional access system’s implementation,” says Somaiya.
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.
