News Broadcasting
Karnataka theaters to defy moratorium
BANGALORE: In a move to challenge the seven-week moratorium on non-Kannada films in Karnataka enforced by the state government sponsored Pandey committee, theatre owners in Karnataka are likely to release two new non-Kannada films on Friday, 2 October.
Popcorn Khao Mast Ho Jao (Hindi), Aliens vs Predators (English) and the Om-Puri starrer King of Bollywood (which opened last week elsewhere in the country) will be screened in theaters in Bangalore and North Karnataka tomorrow.
Theater owners have also submitted a memorandum to the Karnataka Governor T N Chaturvadi stating that the moratorium does not have constitutional validity and that it was being forced on the theater owners.
In another development, a division bench of the High Court comprising of chief justice N K Jain and justice V G Sabahit has issued notices to the state and union governments and the KFCC on a petition challenging the “illegal” seven week moratorium on the release of other language film sin the state. The petition was filed by Bangalore city advocate S Vasudevamurthy, also ruling that pendency of the petition will not come in the way of a compromise formula if worked out to sort the issue.
The Karnataka Film Producers Association (KFPA), which has been instrumental in the enforcement of moratorium, has threatened to stage a dharna outside the theaters, which violate the moratorium, and has urged Kannadigas to boycott non-Kannada films.
Meanwhile the newly elected members Karnataka Film Chambers of Commerce (KFCC) top brass met the chief minister on Monday and the deputy CM yesterday. The deputy CM has asked the film industry heads to solve the current crisis over release of non-Kannada films themselves, saying that the present problem was mainly between the distributors, exhibitors and producers, requesting that the government not be dragged into this matter.
Gangaraju, the newly elected president of the KFCC, has in the meantime urged the ex-presidents of KFCC to use their influence in the industry to make the Indian film industry reconsider the embargos that have been threatened by it on the Kannada film industry.
Mediator actor-politician Ambarish’s meeting with all the three aggrieved parties – producers, theater owners and distributors – held yesterday to work out a solution was called off since the star was busy with some other appointments.
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.
