News Broadcasting
MIB amends order; DD News DG to report to Prasar Bharati
NEW DELHI: In partial modification of its earlier order, the Government said today that Veena Jain, who has been asked to take over as director general (News) in Doordarshan, will report to Prasar Bharati “for all operational purposes.”
As was reported earlier by Indiantelevision.com, the order issued on 29 May had said that the 1984 Indian Information Service officer who will also hold charge as Officer on Special Duty for New Media Wing and Social Media Cell “will report to the Ministry for all purposes.”
A modification posted on the website of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) now says that she will report to the Ministry only in her capacity as OSD. Jain was until now posted as additional director general in the News Services Division of All India Radio.
The announcement had led to a furore in the pubcaster and the media, which alleged that the Government was taking over DD News.
A Ministry official told Indiantelevision.com that it was merely a typographical error and there should be no attempt to read meanings into this.
However, a Prasar Bharati source had told this correspondent last week that DD News had always been under the control of the Ministry as all its officials were appointed by the Ministry without consulting the pubcaster Board or CEO.
In fact, the order of the Ministry was not even marked as a copy to PrasarBharati CEO Jawhar Sircar.
All India Radio has 45 news units while DD has 30 news units around the country, and all are headed by Indian Information Service officers posted by the Ministry.
While pointing out that Prasar Bharati had never been consulted on these postings, Senior Prasar Bharati Advisor Brig. V A M Hussain told this website that Section 11(A)(2) of the Prasar Bharati Act 1990 was clear that the Ministry was to prescribe the terms and conditions of service in the pubcaster of officers and employees of the Indian Information Service, the Central Secretariat Service or any other service borne on any cadre outside Akashvani or Doordarshan. However, he said this had never been done.
Under the Act, Prasar Bharati was made into an autonomous organization.
Answering a question, he said DD has 24 channels and DD News is the only one where the Indian Information Service officers who are directly answerable to the Ministry is posted without any consultation with the pubcaster.
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.
