News Broadcasting
Media comes under attack from CEC and Law Minister on regulation and paid news
NEW DELHI: The media came under attack on issues of paid news and regulation at different forums in the capital over the weekend.
Chief election commissioner (CEC) VS Sampath suggested that paid news should be made an electoral offence that attracts disqualification so that it acts as a deterrent, regretting that inadequacies in legal framework were not allowing the poll panel to effectively check this and other malpractices.
He also said that there is a ‘crying need’ for a ‘well defined legislation’ governing expenditure of political parties during elections as its absence was allowing them and their candidates to circumvent the rules.
Speaking at a session organised by the Law Commission, Sampath reckoned, “When the Election Commission looked into whether it had the powers to deal with paid news it found the answer was negative.”
He also added that paid news in whatever form is presently not even an electoral offence. “If it is an electoral offence, it can eventually lead to the disqualification of the candidate. Whatever the difficulties of implementation, the very fact that if it is listed as electoral offence, it would act as a deterrent against people using it in the elections,” he further explained.
The CEC revealed that a recommendation in this regard has been made to the Law Ministry.
He also asked why government advertisements during elections should not be considered as paid news. “Since paid news is not an electoral offence, the Commission now tries to check this menace by invoking its powers related to candidates’ spending,” he added.
“When they (candidates) file their expenditure returns, they always build a cushion for this. If Rs 40 lakh those days was the limit, invariably no candidate would file a return for more than Rs 25 lakh. That Rs 15 lakh will be the cushion for this,” Sampath stated.
Sampath also revealed that while the Commission’s control over a candidate’s spending is only after he files his nomination, people make substantial election related expenses before that.
He added that people start spending but the Election Commission is constrained ‘because of the law and the interpretation of the law.’
The law states that EC can hold an election within the period of six months before the due date. “We have been making proposals on so many occasions. Why should not the Commission have powers to ensure the purity of the election during this six-month period?” the CEC questioned.
He noted that all limits for poll expenditure is for candidates and none for political parties.
“We have seen political parties handling huge amounts of cash. We have seen political parties giving to the candidates’ huge amounts of cash. When it is caught they will say no, no it is not meant for him, it is meant for him to distribute to others in his district or in his state.
“There is no regulatory framework governing these things. There is a crying need for a well defined legislation governing political parties particularly political parties’ finance,” Sampath reckoned.
The Commission had recently tried to come out with some transparency guidelines. He said in countries like the US, expenditure commissions only take care of the expenditure and how political parties raise finance. He also called for a ‘well defined law’ relating to opinion polls conducted by TV channels.
“There should be a well defined law regulating opinion polls also,” Sampath said, adding that there is a view that voters will not be swayed by opinion polls but added that that there were instances where candidates won by wafer thin margins. Later, he was asked why during elections when polling was on in one area, poll related news from other areas continued to be shown on electronic media or internet.
Sampath also explained that there is a mismatch between law and electronic revolution. “On every poll day during this Lok Sabha election, this violation has taken place. It is because of mismatch between law and electronic revolution in the country. All our laws did not take in to account electronic revolution,” he said, adding that EC has to abide by the law as it exists.
At another session, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said those in politics and government should recognise the right of the Press to ‘criticise, lampoon us.’
Delivering the inaugural address at the National Consultation in Media Law organised by the Law Commission of India with the National Law University, Delhi, Prasad said the leaders in his government, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, were those who fought for press freedom during the Emergency.
Noting that the Indian media has matured during the comparatively short span of its existence, he spoke of his early years as a panellist on TV. “Earlier we used to outshout each other. Anchors spoke more, some still do it. But the process of maturing has started,” he said.
“But if media freedom is necessary and important for the media, self-regulation must be the mode,” he added.
“Paid news is sickening. Politicians have to realise that Indian voters are mature and cannot be swayed by aggressive promises alone,” Prasad stated.
He said press freedom should be equally balanced with right to privacy, so also the right of the media should not hinder the freedom to conduct a fair trial.
“My government recognises the importance of social media. We have no intention to curb this flowering of creativity. But there are reasonable restrictions prescribed under the Constitution, which will be used only in extreme, rare circumstances and with the complete approval of the higher authorities, that too only in serious issues threatening our national or communal framework,” the Minister explained.
Speaking at a panel discussion on the topic media regulations, Kasturi and Sons Ltd Chairman (publishers of The Hindu) N Ram opined, “There was hardly any self-regulation for the Press today. He claimed that his newspaper had introduced the idea of a full-time news ombudsman independent of the editor. He said this practice however had not spread to other newspapers, and TV certainly did not have it.”
He also added how even the Press Council of India was dominated by people from the newspaper industry and that an independent mechanism, which was also transparent, was crucial for self-regulation.
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.
