News Broadcasting
Karnataka HC relieves theaters from moratorium obligation
BANGALORE: The Karnataka High Court ruled on Wednesday, 3 November that theater owners need not abide by moratorium on release of other language (non-Kannada films) as no order has been passed by the government, after the government advocate informed the HC that that it has neither prohibited theatres from exhibiting non-Kannada films nor imposed any condition in this regard.
This interim ruling was given by the court while hearing a petition filed by owners of two theaters – Cauvery and Vybhav. Notices have been issued to State Government, Karnataka Film Chambers of Commerece (KFCC), respective associations of Karnataka Film Producers (KFPA), Karnataka Film Directors Association (KFDA), theater owners, the Kannada Rakshana Vedike (KRV) and the city police.
The High Court said that the petitioner-exhibitors need not abide by the Clause (4) of the resolution passed by the government-headed panel, to solve issues related to the Kannada film industry. The committee had imposed a seven-week moratorium for releasing non-Kannada films. The Clause (4) says the KFCC would implement the agreement reached with the exhibitors in 1994 for not releasing new non-Kannada films for seven weeks after their release, in their respective states.
The theater owners had approached the HC asking it to quash the order imposing the seven-week moratorium on the release of other language films in the state issued on 3 September. The petitioners contention is that there are not enough releases of Kannada language films in the state and if they were to wait for seven weeks before release of other language films, they would have no audiences to see the films as pirated CD’s and DVD’s would be available by then. The petitioners have also asked the court to direct the police to give protection to theaters screening non-Kannada films in the state and also to instruct the KRV not to cause any damage to the petitioners’ interest.
Theater owners have in the mean time decided to adhere to the new three-week moratorium until the Film Federation of India-CM meeting scheduled to be held on 9 November. No Non-Kannada films are scheduled for release on Friday, November 5, 2004.
In spite of the SC and the HC decisions against the moratorium, the KFPA still hopes that the other language film theater owners will abide by what they term as an out-of-court settlement of a three week moratorium for the benefit of the Kannada film industry.
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.
