News Broadcasting
News channels to boycott IPL3 following impasse
NEW DELHI: A fresh row is brewing between the news channels and the Indian Premier League (IPL) organisers. Most television news channels in the country have decided not to cover the third series of the IPL in protest against the “arbitrary” guidelines and certain contentious clauses regarding footage of the Twenty20 event.
The News Broadcasters Association (NBA), which has 34 channels as its members, said the IPL authorities and the official broadcaster of the event “arbitrarily” refused to abide by the 2008 norms that had been endorsed by the news channels. This followed a meeting with the IPL officials and representatives from Max, the channel that will telecast live the IPL matches.
Under the new guidelines, the IPL has said television channels can use up to 30 seconds of fresh footage and seven minutes a day, while websites are not allowed to broadcast any of the match footages, archived or deferred. It has also been stated in the media guidelines for IPL3 that the footages cannot be repeated more than three times a day. The renewed guidelines also demand a minimum delay of 30 minutes from the live coverage.
“In view of this position unilaterally taken by IPL/Max, members of the NBA are unable to offer to their viewers any coverage in relation to IPL or its proposed matches,” the NBA said in its statement, adding: “inconvenience caused to our viewers by this unreasonable commercial approach of IPL/Max is regretted.”
NBA sources told indiantelevision.com that “the doors, though, have not been closed” provided the official broadcaster and IPL reconsider their decision.
Earlier, the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) had urged the Information and Broadcasting Ministry to ensure that broadcasters get a fair deal from the IPL with regard to telecast of footage.
The IBF said in a statement that immediate intervention by the Ministry can help resolve the impasse between the broadcasters and the IPL authorities.
The Ministry had mediated in a similar manner in 2008 through the then Additional Secretary resulting in a compromise.
The Foundation said failure of a negotiated settlement will have serious consequences. If the access to cricket is so restricted that a large part of viewers are deprived of cricketing news, it will not be beneficial to any of the parties involved and ire of general public may have to be also faced by them.
The earlier two IPL seasons had been hit by similar problems. The first was boycotted by the international news agencies over certain contentious clauses in the media accreditation guidelines, including a bar on supplying photographs to websites, and the dispute in the second IPL was resolved only after the IPL removed the clause.
The 2010 tournament has already run into controversies with the non-inclusion of any Pakistani player followed by the statement by Shah Rukh Khan, and later the Shiv Sena threatening not to allow the Australian players in Mumbai as long as attacks continue on the Indians living in Australia.
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.
