News Broadcasting
Anti music piracy activity gathering momentum in US
MUMBAI: The fight over the sharing of music over the Internet is gaining steam. College students across America struck a note of belligerence after the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) said that it had sued individuals across the US for as much as $150,000 per song distributed online. Around 532 suits have been filed.
In India meanwhile, the Indian Music Industry is considering a similar course of action. It will make an example out of special cases involving large scale downloads. However Universal Music India president V J Lazarus did not dwell on the specifics saying that a plan of action was being worked on. “Very soon you will see us targetting certain users. Then the message will go out to all the others that what they are doing is wrong and illegal.”
Lazarus also expressed hope that the Optical Disk Law would be in effect before too long. It has gone through the I&B Ministry and now the matter is with the Law Ministry. Once it comes into effect every CD will have the manufacturer’s code number. This will make seizing pirated copies much easier.
Meanwhile a Reuters report has stated that 70 suits have been filed against students of New York University. College students upload music and make it available to others on the Internet through file-sharing programmes such as Kazaa and iMesh. The new suits have switched the record industry’s focus from those file-sharing companies to the users of file-sharing programmes.
The RIAA has also unveiled an amnesty programme for individuals not currently under investigation. This will remove the threat of prosecution from those who promise to refrain from such activity in the future and erase all copyrighted music they have downloaded. Some students though feel that there is nothing wrong in downloading music as they find that CDs are too expensive.
France looks to step up a gear
France’s culture minister Jean-Jacques Aillagon has indicated that he wants stronger laws to fight the menace of Internet music-swapping in his country. He was quoted in an AP report stating that illegal downloads were tantamount to shoplifting. France has been contemplating filing suits over Internet music piracy for the past few months.
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.
