News Broadcasting
Bengali magazine ‘Prothoma Ekhon’ closes down
KOLKATA: Future Institute of Engineering and Management (FIEM) that had taken over Saradha owned defunct Bengali magazine ‘Paroma’ last year and started afresh as ‘Prothoma Ekhon’ has decided to shut shop, citing huge losses as the reason. The move has left around 35 employees including journalists and technical staff jobless.
“We have closed down the fortnight magazine as we could not sell it,” informs a FIEM official on condition of anonymity to indiantelevisioin.com.
‘Paroma’ was launched by Kolkata-headquartered Saradha Group of companies with critically acclaimed filmmaker, screenwriter and actress Aparna Sen running the show.
But many media ventures of the Kolkata headquartered company like Sakalbela, The Bengal Post, Azad Hind, Prabhat Varta and the Seven Sisters Post, including ‘Paroma’ closed down after the company’s chit fund went bust last year in April.
It was then that FIEM took charge and re-launched the magazine in July 2013. The fortnightly was a mix of other best-selling Bengali magazines like ‘Desh’ and ‘Sananda’ that catered to women and the intellectuals.
“The first issue was a total sold out,” recalls an employee. “The response from the market was so good, that the management at one point was considering increasing the number of pages,” the source adds.
“The RNI was in the name of Saradha only, as we did not get it transferred on our name. We tried to revive it but it was not selling instead of our repeated attempts,” the FIEM official informs.
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.
