News Broadcasting
Delhi land scam accused surrenders in Zee News studio
NEW DELHI: In his attempt to emphasise that his life was in danger and he may be forced to speak before being produced in court, Ashok Malhotra who is the alleged kingpin of the multi-million Delhi land scam surrendered to the Central Bureau of Investigation at the Zee News Studio in Noida.
Before the surrender, Malhotra during the course of his interview with Zee News had made some startling revelations. He said his life was in danger, his relatives had been manhandled at home by the CBI, and he would only reveal everything in court. He admitted to knowing some officers of the Delhi Development Authority and to have relations with some local Bharatiya Janata Party leaders. He denied ever having met Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit or having relations with Delhi Congress chief Ram Babu Sharma.
He admitted that “MLAs Kunwar Karan Pal Singh and Surendra Singh Bittoo had helped in getting the VIP numbers for his cars,” but said he had only 17 cars and six motor cycles.
He said, “There is no case against me and my property is not more than Rs 100 million”, and denied he had papers of 5500 plots.
Malhotra is alleged to have acquired land meant for slum colonies and then sold these off at exorbitant prices.
The scam was unearthed during a CBI raid that is alleged to have yielded land papers of no less than 5500 plots in Delhi and over 50 cars with VIP numbers. The accused runs the canteen at the Delhi Vidhan Sabha and is alleged to have strong connections with key leaders across the political spectrum.
This is not the first time that an accused has surrendered in the studios of a television channel. Sahil, an accused in the drugs case against BJP leader Pramod Mahajan’s son Rahul, had surrendered to police in the studios of Aaj Tak in Srinagar in June last year.
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.
