News Broadcasting
EC to start hearing of paid news case against Ashok Chavan
NEW DELHI: With the Supreme Court having given its clearance earlier this month, the Election Commission has announced its decision to proceed with the hearings in the “paid news” case against former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan.
The case pertains to a complaint filed by Bharatiya Janata Party leaders Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Madhavrao Kinhalkar, Kirti Somaiya and four others regarding publication of advertisements in various newspapers during the election campaign period for the Maharashtra Assembly held in September-October 2009 ‘in the garb of news eulogising him and his achievements as CM’. Chavan had won assembly polls from Bhokar constituency.
The Commission is to commence hearing on 17 May. Sources in the Commission told indiantelevision.com that the case will be heard expeditiously so that it does not have to start anew under a new incumbent since the Supreme Court noted that chief election commissioner SY Quraishi is laying down office on 10 June.
The complaint alleged that Chavan had showed just Rs 5,379 as the expenses on newspaper advertisements in his accounts filed before the Commission. In the complaint filed on November 2009, it was specifically prayed that the account of election expenses of Chavan under Section 10 A of the Peoples’ Representation Act 1951 should be investigated.
Chavan had moved the Delhi High Court and then the Supreme Court, but both ruled that the EC was well within its rights to probe the accounts.
Justices Altamas Kabir and J. Chelameshwar on 2 May said the EC could go ahead with the probe but the findings should not be made public. The EC had begun proceedings against Chavan on 2 April 2011.
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.
