News Broadcasting
Bad news dogs Mi Marathi journos: work without pay
MUMBAI: There’s some amount of chaos reigning in the office of the 24 hour Marathi news channel Mi Marathi. With owner Mahesh Motewar – who acquired it from HDIL in 2012 – cooling his heels behind bars since December 2015, it’s bound to be. A cash crunch has forced it to stop churning out original news programming and run archival content.
Moreover, on 20 March 2016, Mi Marathi’s senior managers called a meeting at which reporters and editors were informed that they would have work without pay until further notice.
A senior reporter present at the meeting told Indiantelevision.com, “We were shocked when the announcement was made. We were asked to raise our hands if we were okay to work without being paid. Only three hands went up.”
Another senior official informed us on condition of anonymity, “The salaries have been delayed for a long time now. Three days back all the staff got their January pay, while their emoluments for February are still due. There is a crisis at our parent company, but the irony is revenue wise we are doing good. ABP and Zee are the only ones above us. I just hope the company can resolve its issues soon or it may be on course to shut down.”
Another senior journo disclosed that he has been calling his friends in other news channels and newspapers to hire some of the mid and junior level reporters from Mi Marathi. He further clarified: “A large chunk of the employees has already moved on. The way it is functioning; I don’t see the channel running for long. We senior guys get the salary last. We ensure that the younger reporters and editors get their wages first as they are the one’s most needing them.”
However, Mi Marathi managing editor Tulsidas Bhoite was pretty emphatic that the channel would continue and there was no question of shuttering it. “Yes there are certain issues but there is no shutting down. Yes we have stopped our bulletins but that is because of some technical issues,” he said. “The reporters are there and we will resume our original programming again in a week or two.”
Observers say it will require a miracle of sorts to turn things around. Motewar is reportedly currently lodged in Yerwada jail after being found guilty of allegedly defrauding investors through a chit-fund scam under Prosperity Agro or Samruddha Jeevan. Motewar is allegedly politically well connected hence his broadcast venture could find a white knight.
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.
