News Broadcasting
Iran ban on Al-Jazeera “spiteful”: IFJ
MUMBAI: The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has condemned the Iranian government’s decision to ban Al-Jazeera in the country, calling it a “spiteful act of censorship.”
The Iranian government closed the offices of the Arab satellite television channel in Tehran, accusing it of inflaming violent protests by the country’s Arab minority.
“This closure is a spiteful act of censorship and a blatant attempt by the authorities to make media the scapegoat for civil unrest,” said IFJ general secretary Aidan White. “If Iran has complaints about media standards it should seek professional redress, not take action that undermines Press freedom and pluralism.”
The IFJ says that the ban on Al-Jazeera should be lifted and the office re-opened.
The Al-Jazeera interview of the Popular Democratic Front of Ahawazi Arabs in Iran, a London-based organisation which is forbidden in the country and has denounced “80 years of Iranian occupation in Khuzestan”, has apparently sparked the retaliation of the authorities. The government has denied the authenticity of a document quoted by the Front’s representative, which was referring to alleged plans to revise the ethnic composition of the area.
According to a BBC News report, three people have died in ethnic clashes in Iran’s south-west Khuzestan province over the past few days. The IFJ statement says at least one person died after Arab-Iranians went on the rampage in the city of Ahvaz, near the border with Iraq, at the weekend.
“Al-Jazeera coverage of the events respected a strictly journalistic and balanced view of opinions, which by no means signified the adhesion of the media itself to the position of the interviewees,” said White.
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.
