News Broadcasting
FDI guidelines on news channels expected any time now
NEW DELHI: Star and the likes can breathe a bit easy as finally the Almighty may be smiling.
Though the Indian government may have taken its own time to take a stand on the issue of foreign direct investment (FDI) in news channels desirous of uplinking from India, it is acting with speed where issuance of guidelines for the policy decision is concerned.
The information and broadcasting ministry is understood to be working overtime to finalise the guidelines that are expected, according to I&B ministry sources, before the week is out.
“If everything goes well, the guidelines may be notified either late today or tomorrow,” a ministry official said, refusing to give any more details.
According to information available with indiantelevision.com, senior bureaucrats in the I&B ministry have been huddled in meetings since Tuesday’s cabinet decision. The ministry’s top bureaucrat, the secretary, also was said to be in a meeting with minister Ravi Shankar Prasad around the time the India-Kenya cricket semi-final match was to begin (5:30 pm).
The ministry seems to have done its homework well. Not only did it prepare its case for Tuesday’s Cabinet meet, but has also collated guidelines regarding television broadcast in other countries like the UK, Australia, Malaysia, the US and Singapore.
The Industry expects that after capping the FDI in TV channels at 26 per cent, the government is likely to put in some stringent guidelines, the same way it did when the print medium sector in India was opened up to foreign investment up to 26 per cent.
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26% FDI cap in news channels
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.
