News Broadcasting
Hearing against 9 Jan Trai notification on 14 April
NEW DELHI: Fixing 14 April as the next date of hearing, the Delhi High Court today directed the centre, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) and Star India to respond to a petition seeking to quash a government notification by which broadcasting services were made part of the telecommunication services under the Trai Act.
Justice Manmohan Sarin told the respondents to reply within ten days and the petitioner, a Maharashtra-based cable operator Saisagar Cable Network, to file its rejoinder within a week thereafter, and fixed 14 April as the next date of hearing, United News of India reported today.
On 26 February, Justice S K Kaul had issued a notice on the plea that alleged that the notification dated 9 January was arbitrary and discriminatory towards cable operators as it took away all legal remedies available to them.
The petitioner, through counsel Ankur Talwar, said the Trai in an order on 15 January froze the rates charged by cable operators to the subscribers, multi service operators to operators (MSOs) and MSOs to broadcasters as on 26 December last year, both in respect to free-to-air and pay channels, for both CAS and non-CAS areas.
On the same day itself, Star India unilaterally discontinued the TV signal being given to the petitioners, it was alleged. Star India then entered into an agreement with another cable operator at a much higher amount, it was claimed.
The petitioner said though Star India had violated the Trai order, legal recourse was not available to it because of the notification. The petition also sought direction to the Trai to decide its complaint given to it in that regard.
Star India, through counsel Gopal Jain, on the other hand claimed the ”dispute” pertained to its contract with the cable operator, and the agreement mentioned arbitration as the way for its resolution, the UNI report stated.
Standing counsel Sanjay Jain and counsel Meet Malhotra had accepted notices for the Union Government and Trai, respectively.
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.
