News Broadcasting
Planning Commission to identify broader areas for policy review
NEW DELHI: The information and broadcasting ministry may have had reservations about convergence of the infotech, broadcasting and telecom sectors, but a section of the government feels that may be the only way forward.
The Planning Commission, a government think-tank on economic policies has recently set up a co-ordination committee on information, communication and broadcasting technologies. The agenda: to identify broader areas for policy review.
This initiative, undertaken earlier this month, is part of mid-term appraisal of the 10th Five-Year Plan (2002-07).
The terms of reference of the newly set-up committee are to look into the following issues:
Conditional access system and the use of SMS in the broadcasting sector,
Rural connectivity and deployment of wireless technologies in the last mile,
Broadband and its benefits for the masses,
Facilitating Internet penetration,
ICT (information, communication and technology)-based reforms in the postal sector,
Postman-based electronic mail and e-mail with latency.
Societal applications for IT,
Optimum use of spectrum and principles of spectrum allocation and management,
R&D in the convergent technologies.
The committee is headed by minister of state (planning) MV Rajashekharan and comprises Planning Commission secretary RR Shah, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India chairman Pradip Baijal, Prasar Bharati CEO KS Sarma and secretaries in the I&B ministry, department of telecom and department of post, amongst others.
A Planning Commission order relating to this states that the tenure and time frame of the Coordination Committee shall be determined in accordance with the time schedule of preparation of the mid-term appraisal document of the 10th Five-year Plan.
It may be mentioned here that the Planning Commission does make important recommendations on various issues, which need not necessarily be accepted by the government. But such studies and recommendations do indicate the thought process of the government.
Over a year back, a Planning Commission panel had stated that there was a need to review various foreign investment caps, including in the DTH broadcasting sector. However, the government of the day had not taken up the suggestion with the seriousness it could have been to increase foreign investments in the country, which lags behind that made in China.
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.
