News Broadcasting
Parliament television channel ‘Lok Sabha TV’ launched
MUMBAI: Lok Sabha Television (LSTV), a dedicated satellite channel to telecast live proceedings of Lok Sabha or Lower House of Parliament and air programmes on important public issues, hit the airwaves today.
LSTV will function as a 24-hour channel, telecasting programmes of national interest when the Parliament is not in session.
In addition to the live telecast of Parliament proceedings, the programming line up of LSTV comprises a series of live and recorded programmes. The channel will offer a mix of panel discussions and educational and informative programmes.
To start with, LSTV will have programmes such as Today’s Agenda, Party Stand, Awaaz Aap Ki / Street Talk, Sansad Se Sadak Tak, Village Voice / Gram Sabha, Know Your MP, Review by the Chair, and The Issue this Week. Viewers, who have missed the day’s live action, can catch up with the developments through House Highlights, scheduled for 7:30 pm and 11 pm.
The channel also promises to offer cultural programmes such as music and dance, plays especially staged for LSTV, fortnightly film and more.
According to media reports, LSTV has been launched on an initial investment of about Rs 80 million for hardware and the annual recurring expenditure will fall in the range of Rs 120-150 million. The channel expects to meet the operational expense through advertising, which is initially open to public sector units only.
The channel is being supervised by former information and broadcasting secretary Bhaskar Ghose, who got a mandate from Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee some months back to do a feasibility report on TV channels dedicated to Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha (Upper House).
What is not clear at this moment is, whether such dedicated parliament TV channels cannibalise advertising revenue from pubcaster Doordarshan, which depends heavily on public sector undertakings for advertising support.
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.
