News Broadcasting
NDTV gets world exclusive with Kissinger following ‘Indira insult’
MUMBAI: In an exclusive interview given to NDTV 24×7 on 1 July, Nobel peace prize winner and the former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger expressed regrets about a conversation between him and the then president Richard Nixon about India and the Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi.
The insulting comments by Kissinger came in the open when the transcripts of Oval office tapes and some newly declassified documents were made public earlier this week.
In the NDTV interview, Kissinger said the remarks had to be seen in the context of the Cold War prevailing at that time. The interview of Kissinger with Maya Mirchandani on NDTV drew media attention both from print as well as international television channels.
In the interview, Kissinger went on to add to describe the conversation that, this was not a formal conversation. ‘This was somebody letting off steam at the end of a meeting in, which both President Nixon and I were emphasizing that we had gone out of our way to treat Mrs. Gandhi very cordially, ” says he.
The 82-year Kissinger told NDTV, “There were disappointment at the results of the meeting. The language was Nixon language.”
Through the interview with NDTV, Kissinger also dwelled on points such as cold war, Islamic extremism and anti-Indian tilt. Speaking on anti-Indian tilt, he however said that he is adamant that those who argue the US played India and Pakistan against each other during the cold war years are off the mark.
He insists what was perceived as an anti-India sentiment within successive US administrations was in fact just a one off between the time India and the Soviet Union signed the friendship treaty in August 1971, and the Indo-Pak war that December.
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.
