News Broadcasting
Cabinet extends to 31 October news uplink norms deadline
NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet yesterday extended a deadline for adhering to the prescribed eligibility criteria related to uplinking of news channels from India to 31 October, hinting that the present guidelines may be revised.
The extension in the deadline would also give time to the information and broadcasting ministry to examine various issues related to the uplinking guidelines, a government representative said today.
“The deadline has been extended with a view that if there is a necessity to amend the existing guidelines, the nodal ministry could come up with suggestions,” finance minister P Chidambaram told indiantelevision.com this afternoon, immediately after briefing the media about a Cabinet meeting that was held yesterday.
The minister, however, did not specify the reason(s) behind the move or whether the I&B ministry had communicated to the Cabinet that it would like to bring about some changes in the existing uplinking norms, which cap foreign investment in news channels uplinking from India at 26 per cent.
However, a slew of proposals relating to uplinking that the I&B ministry is studying, at the moment, include whether foreign institutional investors should be allowed to invest in news channels and streamlining the uplinking procedures through Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd for news clips and stories by foreign news channels (like CNN and BBC).
Chidambaram today said that proposals seeking amendments in the existing uplinking norms shall be submitted for the Cabinet’s consideration shortly.
The previous Bharatiya Janata Party-led government had approved foreign ownership and management control restrictions on news channels uplinking from India through a decision on 18 March , 2003. The guidelines pertaining to this were issued a week later on 26 March. These eligibility criteria were further revised in August, 2003.
The uplinking norms had been issued in 2003 after allegations were made by domestic news channels that Star News was trying to circumvent the then existing norms.
Subsequent to the issuance of guidelines last year, several media houses, owning TV news channels, had made representations to the I&B ministry on various issues, including allowing FII investments in TV news ventures.
While some news channels effected corporate restructuring to adhere to the uplinking norms, Zee News in particular is yet to complete the process of fulfilling the eligibility criteria.
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.
