News Broadcasting
No relief for Arnab Goswami as Bombay HC reserves order
NEW DELHI: After a six-hour-long special hearing on Saturday, the Bombay high court has reserved its order on Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami’s plea seeking interim release from custody in the 2018 abetment to suicide case. The court is expected to release orders in the coming week.
The bench headed by justice SS Shinde and MS Karnik refused to pass an immediate order of interim relief but clarified that the pendency of the case in the high court will not bar the petitioners from seeking regular bail under section 439 before the concerned court. The decision will have to be given by the concerned court, in case of filing of such a petition by Goswami and other petitioners, within four days.
“We can't pass order today. It is already six. Meanwhile we will clarify that pendency of the petition will not bar the petitioner from approaching the sessions court for bail and if such an application is filed, it should be decided within four days,” the bench observed.
When senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing on behalf of Goswami, pressed for interim bail, the court said that it could not pass an order immediately, and that it needed to consider the compilations and submissions made by the parties involved in the case.
It was the third consecutive day of hearing of the habeas corpus plea made by Goswami stating that his arrest in a “decisively closed” case was “illegal” and was done with the intent of vendetta by the Maharashtra government and Mumbai police for his critical reportage.
Goswami remains in 14-day judicial custody after he was arrested from his Mumbai residence on the morning of Wednesday, 4 November.
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.
