News Broadcasting
Court to hear on false TV sting on 15 November
NEW DELHI: Discharging school teacher Uma Khurana who had been accused in a fake sting operation on a prostitution racket, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Alok Aggarwal today fixed 15 November for argument on charges against the other three accused — tv reporters Prakash Singh and Rashmi Singh, and Virender Arora.
The police have charged the trio for criminal conspiracy for using forged electronic record.
The teacher has been discharged following a report by Delhi Police that it had no evidence against her.
Delhi Police had informed the court two days earlier that it had filed the first charge-sheet against the television channel reporters and Arora who also took part in the false sting.
In its final investigation report, the Delhi Police had told Aggarwal that no substantial evidence had been found against Khurana for her trial under the Prevention of Immoral Trafficking Act.
The sting two months ago purportedly showed the 41-year-old teacher forcing her girl students into prostitution and pornography. Following the telecast, an angry mob had attacked the school, torched several vehicles parked on the road, and manhandled the teacher. She was dismissed from service by the Delhi government on 1 September and arrested the next day.
A week later, it was discovered that the operation was a hoax and the girl ‘victim’ shown in the TV sting was, in fact, TV journalist Rashmi Singh. Khurana was granted bail on 11 September.
Prakash Singh was arrested and booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including those related to cheating and criminal conspiracy.
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.
