News Broadcasting
Govt. seems agreeable to main pay channels coming within Rs 200: Mukerjea
NEW DELHI: The Indian government is not averse to the idea if the main channels, including the sports and entertainment ones like Star Plus, Zee TV, Sony, Star Sports, etc, being priced within Rs 200, while the rest can come at an extra cost.
This was indicated to Star India CEO Peter Mukerjea during a meeting he had today with additional secretary (broadcasting) in the information and broadcasting ministry, Vijay Singh.
Pointing out that on Monday a meeting with broadcasters would be held on CAS, Singh said that if the main channels come for Rs 200, it would be okay with the government. If the hint is to be taken then the pay channels would price themselves accordingly, though there seems to be some resistance from broadcasters to come out with a la carte price for pay channels.
Still, Mukerjea told indiantelevision.com, “Star will come back with a pricing that is better explained for its logic and would have to be lower than what they are because the Prime Minister has said that he would like CAS to be consumer-friendly. If he has said so, we will have to do something (with the price).” We that the price of Star channels may work out to something between Rs 35-40 “depending on the number of boxes that are there in the market.” So, it’s the boxes that are important.
Earlier, talking to journalists a relaxed Mukerjea took on the cable operators and critics of the prices that were conveyed sometime back by Star, Sony and ESPN-Star Sports, which was described by the I&B ministry secretary as a “non-serious offer”.
Saying that “people with limited intelligence” could not understand the logic behind the price, Mukerjea said that what the cable ops did was to add up all the a la carte prices and tom-tom it as being too high. “The prices have been misread and we would come back in a few days time with a better interpretation of the prices suggested,” he added.
According to Mukerjea, the pricing, supported by Sony, Star and ESS, was based on the fact that those who would buy a la carte would not buy all channels and those who would buy all channels would buy the bouquets or the tiers. “Either way, the viewers stands to gain,” he added.
He also said that in the earlier pricing Zee had been included with all Zee channels totaling up to Rs 60, but now “talks are being held with Mr. Jawahar Goel” in this regard.”
His main message seems to be that the pricing suggested through various tiers need to be better explained to the industry, government and conveyed properly to the consumers.
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.
