News Broadcasting
Centre looking at tougher uplink norms for foreign news channels
NEW DELHI: The Indian government is planning to further tighten the screws on foreign TV news channels and electronic news agencies by bringing in regulation that would envisage such entities get their content, being uplinked out of India via Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd, cleared by the Press Information Bureau (PIB).
Apart from a sense of control creeping in, the proposed regulation is also likely to make it mandatory that all such news channels (like CNN, BBC and even ESPN and Star Sports) and news agencies (like APTN and CCTV) get themselves accredited to the PIB, a long drawn procedure.
These are part of a set of proposals prepared by the information and broadcasting ministry under revised uplinking norms that are awaiting a Cabinet nod. The issue was scheduled to be taken up by the Cabinet today, but was taken off the agenda at the last moment due to the absence of I&B minister Jaipal Reddy, who is away on an official foreign tour.
Ministry officials are attempting to play down the indirect control that they would wield over various foreign news channels, not directly uplinking from India, but using VSNL’s facilities for sending news stories to their respective headquarters.
The proposed move would indirectly result in the handing of powers of censorship into the hands of the PIB, manned by officials of the I&B ministry. The designated authority would also have the powers to screen content supposed to go out of India for foreign news channels.
Most such news channels like CNN and BBC use VSNL’s uplinking facilities to send news inputs on a daily basis, while taking special government permission for direct uplinking on special occasions.
Government officials also say that though ESPN Star Sports manage sports channels, they could also fall into this category because ESS air sports news bulletins.
Channels like CNN and BBC would ideally not like to uplink straight out of India as that would mean they have to conform to government guidelines for news channels and bring down the foreign shareholding in the Indian operation to 26 per cent.
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.
