News Broadcasting
ARY News asked to pay INR 1.58 cr to Geo TV as compensation
MUMBAI: A legal rift raging between two big media groups in Pakistan — ARY News and Geo TV — settled recently in a British Court. ARY News lost the legal battle and will have to pay approximately INR 1.58 crore compensation to Geo.
Pakistani newspapers reported that ARY News had been asked by the court to pay the amount to Geo TV chairman Mir Shakeelur Rehman. As per the media reports, the case was filed by Rehman in London’s High Court of Justice against ARY News for defaming and threatening him.
The court, after reviewing the legal aspects of the case, gave its verdict and ordered the chairman of ARY News to pay the fine for defaming Rehman. The court, however, rejected the charges of heartening the applicant.
The court mentioned in its decision that, even after giving time to ARY News, it neither withdrew the charges levelled against Geo TV chairman nor sought pardon. The case was heard by Justice Sir David Eddy of the Queen’s Bench of High Court of Justice from 1 November to 7 November. On 2 December, the court released its comprehensive verdict.
Rehman filed the case on the basis of ARY’s programme ‘Khara Sach’, in which anchorperson Mubasher Luqman had levelled serious allegations against him (Rehman) damaging the credibility of Geo media group’s chairman. He said in his petition that a series of 24 episodes of the said programme was telecast in the UK and other countries.
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.
