News Broadcasting
Film industry severs ties with Kannada filmdom
BANGALORE: The retaliation from outside the state has finally come. Protesting against the seven-week moratorium on non-Kannada films in Karnataka, the Tamil, Telugu and Hindi film industries backed by the Film Federation of India and the South Indian Film Chambers of Commerce have decided to sever all ties with the Kannada film industry.
According to media reports, though no official announcement has been made yet in this regard, the organisations have ratified the following embargoes on the Kannada Film Industry:
No other language films will be released at all in Karnataka.
No actors or technicians from other languages will work in Kannada films.
No Kannada actors, artistes, producers, music directors, technicians will be permitted to work in any other industry.
No other language producers will produce Kannada movies.
No Kannada films will be dubbed in any other language.
No shooting will be done in Karnataka by any other language; Kannada films will be refused permission to shoot elsewhere.
Film manufacturers will be asked to reduce raw stock to Kannada films.
The Telugu film industry sources said that they had waited for over four weeks for the Kannada film industry to relent their seven-week moratorium, and then decided on the embargoes. It is alleged that the Kannada film producers had refused to give appointments to their counterparts to meet and sort out the issues.
Reportedly refuting this allegation, Karnataka Film Producers Association president Basant Kumar Patil has said that they would be willing to meet anyone and explain the situation of the Kannada film industry.
Meanwhile actor-politician Ambarish managed to convince the Karnataka Film Exhibitors Federation (KFEF) on the release of the Kannada movie Omkar. The film released as per schedule in South Karnataka on Saturday to coincide with actor Upendra’s birthday.
Omkara’s release was permitted by the KFEF on Sunday in North Karnataka after Ambarish assured that another meeting would be convened to discuss the issue of simultaneous release of non-Kannada films in the state, say reports. The current seven week ban on Non-Kannada films will likely be over by the end of this month and the issue would be taken up by the Pandey Committee during it’s next meeting. KFEF has also demanded a reduction in power tariffs for theaters.
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.
