News Broadcasting
Kamal Khan gets a breather on his comments on YouTube
NEW DELHI: A Lucknow court has dismissed the petition filed by UP cadre IPS officer Amitabh Thakur for wanting to file a first information report against producer-actor-director Kamal R Khan with regard to alleged remarks against two scheduled castes in a comment about the film Raanjhana.
Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Manish dismissed the petition alleging the objectionable criminal comments were made in a Video on YouTube. The petition was filed after the police refused to register an FIR. Thakur had given an FIR to Gomtinagar police station, Lucknow and SSP, Lucknow saying that Khan’s comments are clearly casteist in nature and constitute an offence under section 3(1)(x) of the SC, ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act 1989.
The ACJM said that an offence under the SC/ST Act is made only when it is aimed at a particular individual which is not the case here, and so no cognizable offence is being made.
In the 09.40 minute video review uploaded on YouTube on 20 June, Khan said: “Sir, I don’t know whether you are from UP or not, but I am. In the whole of UP, you will find cobblers and sweepers who look like Dhanush but you will not find such single rotten Brahman as him in entire UP.” He also made some other extremely improper personal comments against the actor Dhanush.
Khan has earlier invited controversies with his film Desh Drohi and his presence in Bigg Biss 3, is once again in trouble.
In his very first film Desh Drohi, Khan indirectly referred to the Shiv Sena through his dialogue “Jitni nafrat humhare liye tumhare dil main hain , usse zyada pyar tumhare liye humare seene main hain. Kabhi UP Bihar aake dekhna, mehman ko bhagwan samajhte hain hum.”
This resulted in the film being banned in Mumbai for two months.
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.
