News Broadcasting
IBN7 correspondent released after media protests in UP
NEW DELHI: The media fraternity has strongly protested the arrest of Shalabh Mani Tripathi, the Lucknow bureau chief of IBN7 news channel, as an attempt to gag the media for the recent coverage of rising crime graph in the state.
As the news of Tripathi‘s detention spread, a large number of media fraternity gathered outside the police station in Lucknow. He was released later after fellow scribes hit the streets.
Protesting the incident, journalists from across media organisations staged a demonstration near chief minister’s residence, after which the secretary to the chief minister told the reporters that the process of suspension of the police officers has been initiated.
Two senior journalists of IBN7 were also targeted and roughed up by senior police officers from the Lucknow administration on Sunday night when IBN7 refused to compromise and succumb under government pressure and bow down to their unreasonable demands in relation to this story.
Shalabh has been tracking deputy chief medical officer Dr Y.S. Sachan‘s death. In fact, Shalabh is the person who first broke Dr Sachan’s death story in Lucknow Jail and exposed the UP Government as to how they were trying to hush up the case by showing it to be a suicide and not murder, thus highlighting the loopholes in the probe and the versions given by the government.
The government was eventually forced to retract their earlier version and has now registered his death as a case of murder under pressure not just from the family but even from the medico legal fraternity within the Uttar Pradesh government and beyond.
IBN7 was also switched off/blacked out in entire UP on several occasions during last few weeks when the channel refused to compromise and succumb to the State administration’s pressures.
IBN Editor-in-Chief Rajdeep Sardesai said, “IBN7 is committed to uncover the truth and we will continue to highlight the facts despite these pressure tactics. We will not get fazed by these attempts to curb the freedom of press, in fact this makes our resolve stronger to stand for the truth”.
Speaking about the unfortunate development, IBN7 managing editor Ashutosh said, “This is the second time that an attempt to curtail the freedom of press is made by unruly elements who want to prevent us from bringing the facts; nothing can stop our committed journalists from unveiling the truth.”
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.
