News Broadcasting
Police nab four in piracy case registered by IndiaCast
Mumbai: IndiaCast, through its anti-piracy agency Kamakhya, has registered four First Information Reports (FIRs) at different police stations against the owners of Narnaul Cable Services and Faulad Cable including their operators located in the areas of Bhivadi, Rajasthan.
IndiaCast is a multi-platform content asset monetisation entity jointly owned by TV18 Broadcast Ltd, and Viacom18 Media Private Ltd. It is involved in India distribution, placement services, global channel distribution and advertising sales, digital media distribution, and content syndication for all the group company channels and content.
It initiated the complaint about unlawful and unauthorised dissemination of TV18 and Viacom18 channels in these areas. The complaints have been lodged under Copyright Act 1957 and the Indian Penal Code 1860.
“The police authorities have proactively responded to the complaint and conducted more than six raids at different locations” said the company in a statement.
The police have seized equipment like transmitters and nodes used in the retransmission of signals of various channels in unauthorised areas for public consumption. Following the complaint, police have already arrested four accused in the matter. The accused were denied bail and sent to judicial custody for five days.
“We are grateful to the police officials of Bhivadi for their quick and timely intervention in this endeavour to combat piracy. Pirated content is a growing concern for the media industry as it directly affects not only the broadcaster revenues but also devalues the work put in by the entire content supply chain. IndiaCast along with Viacom18 and the TV18 network will continue to fight market threats associated with piracy and will protect their channel’s content using all legal methods available,” said IndiaCast in a statement.
Recently, Viacom18 had registered an FIR against Thop TV in Maharashtra State Cyber Cell. “Thop TV is alleged to offering pirated broadcast and OTT content to millions of online viewers at discounted prices, which is causing substantial revenue loss to the network. The Maharashtra Cyber Cell has proactively acted on the FIR and arrested the founder and CEO of Thop TV,” it added.
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.
