News Broadcasting
Bombay HC denies interim relief to Arnab Goswami
NEW DELHI: Refusing to grant interim relief to Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami, the Bombay HC has adjourned the remand hearing for Friday, 6 N0vember 2020. Goswami is currently in 14-day judicial custody in a 2018 case of abetment to suicide.
The bench of Justices S S Shinde and M S Karnik observed that they can’t pass an interim order without hearing the complainant and the state.
Further, the bench has issued a notice on the petition to the state and also to the complainant Adnya Naik, daughter of the deceased Anvay Naik, an architect by profession. In his suicide note, Naik wrote that he was taking the drastic step because of three people for non-payment of dues to his interior designing firm CDPL. Goswami was named by him in the same note, along with Feroz Shaikh of IcastX/Skimedia and Niteish Sarda of Smartworks.
In his habeas plea, Goswami alleged that the decisively closed case was reopened “with the sole purpose of misusing power, concocting facts and forcefully arresting the petitioner in a prima facie act of revenge and vengeance for his news coverage which questioned those in power in the state of Maharashtra.”
Goswami further claimed that he has been wrongfully detained and assaulted in another attempt of political witch hunt and vendetta politics against him and his news channel.
The journalist was arrested on Wednesday morning from his Mumbai residence and remanded in 14-day judicial custody on the same evening.
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.
