News Broadcasting
Certified adult fare on TV possible: Govt
NEW DELHI: What may bring smiles on the faces of many, the government today indicated that certified adult content could be allowed on television at late hours, but before that the industry must show greater restraint and self-regulation, something that in the past has brought indifferent result.
Briefing journalists after a roundtable on content regulation here today, information and broadcasting minister Jaipal Reddy said that the validity and quantum of advertising on TV channels, especially pay, was also discussed.
Reddy said that in the West, media has adopted self-regulation to a large extent and the endeavour now is to achieve this standard in India also. “The government has its own views on the issue, but it is open and amenable to suggestions and new ideas. The effort would be to maximize the area of consensus through the dialogue,” the minister added.
With the common theme of the roundtable, attended by various stakeholders of the broadcast and cable industry, apart from non-governmental agencies and government officials, being self-regulation, Reddy is understood to have told the meeting that he doesn’t want to look and sound like a “dictator, thrusting down a regulatory framework,” but the industry has to behave more responsibly .
The consensus at the roundtable was that in an age when technology is converging to bring forth an explosion of avenues of content delivery, keeping adult content, which need not necessarily mean pornography, out of TV would be a difficult thing.
Pointing out that an in-principle decision has been taken at the meeting to allow `A’ certified films and music videos on television, Reddy said, “The details would have to be worked out, but there is a need to fix a time slot for such programming as now such material can be seen at any time on television.”
Though quite a few of those who attended the meeting said that the minister assured them of having a liberalized content regime, but it needs to be seen whether such proposed moves are opposed by political allies of the government or not.
During the roundtable, there was consensus on having a regulatory body for content, but on the lines of Ofcom in the UK and the FCC in the US. However, in the same vein, the government made it clear that there are enough safeguards in existing legislation like the Cable TV (Network) Regulation Act. The need of the hour is their strict enforcement.
The roundtable was attended by Star India CEO Peter Mukerjea, India Today Group head Aroon Purie, TAM India head LV Krishnan, NDTV director Narayan Rao, Zee Telefilms’ Jawahar Goel, Times of India group MD Vineet Jain, amongst a host of others from various segments of the media and entertainment industry. The cable fraternity and NGOs too were adequately represented.
The round table workshop on content issues on TV channels was aimed at facilitating a friendly and constructive interaction with the industry and other prominent personalities so their suggestions could be incorporated in a proposed legislation.
On the issue of regulating ads on TV channels, Reddy was of the opinion that internationally pay channels did not have advertisements and the global trend is that there is 20 per cent of commercial time in general on TV. Though he did not elaborate on this percentage, he expressed the hope that in India too TV channels should adhere to such norms.
While the government did admit that it had proposed a downlinking policy to rein in TV channels uplinking from outside India, today at the meeting it soft-peddled the issue, merely saying a legislation would be worked out incorporating this aspect too.
However, industry sources said that Prasar Bharati CEO KS Sarma and several cable industry representatives attempted to make a strong case for having a downlinking policy soon, envisaging mandatory sharing of listed content with the national and pubcaster.
According to Reddy, his ministry could aim to bring an omnibus broadcast policy to Parliament during the Budget session, beginning later this month, but “it would be very difficult to have serious discussion” on it. “I would say that the monsoon session of Parliament looks like a more idea time for the Broadcast Bill,” he admitted.
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.
