News Broadcasting
Former SC judge Justice Vikramjit Sen appointed chairman of IBF’s new self-regulatory body
New Delhi: Former Supreme Court judge Justice Vikramjit Sen was on Monday appointed as the chairman of the newly formed self-regulatory body – Digital Media Content Regulatory Council (DMCRC) formed by the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF), the apex body of broadcasters.
The industry-led self-regulatory body (SRB) for digital OTT platforms will work as a second-tier mechanism at the appellate level, quite similar to the Broadcast Content Complaint Council (BCCC), which IBF had implemented for the linear broadcasting sector in 2011. DMCRC was formed as per the mandate of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 that came into effect on 26 May, with active consultation amongst the creative industry fraternity.
The newly formed Council constitutes prominent personalities from the media & entertainment industry and Online Curated Content Providers (OCCPs), with experience in IPR, programming, and content creation. Meanwhile, IBF will also be renamed as the Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation (IBDF) as it expands its purview to cover digital platforms to bring all digital (OTT) players under one roof.
A former supreme court judge, Justice (retd) Sen has practiced in all the courts in Delhi, although primarily in the high court of Delhi. He was elevated to the apex court on 24 December 2012. He was also appointed chairman of the Broadcast Content Complaints Council (BCCC)- a self-regulatory body for the non-news and current affairs television channels in India in 2017, said IBF in a statement on Monday.
The other members of the council are national award-winning filmmaker Nikkhil Advani, Banijay Group CEO and founder Deepak Dhar, prominent artist, filmmaker, and writer Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari and creative writer and innovative director, Tigmanshu Dhulia. The other two members from the OCCPs include Sony Pictures Pvt. Ltd, general counsel Ashok Nambisan, and Star and Disney India, chief regional counsel Mihir Rale and Disney India.
Speaking on the appointment of the committee, IBF president, K. Madhavan said, “I am delighted that so many experts from the media and entertainment industry have come forward and accepted the invitation of IBDF to be part of the proposed self-regulatory body. I look forward to working with the Council whose mandate is to ensure freedom of expression of the Indian creative industry as well as help the discerning audience of the OTT platforms to have unhindered access to world-class and differentiated content. This is a historical and win-win moment for all the stakeholders i.e. the M&E industry, the policymakers, and the subscribers of the OTT platforms.”
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.
