News Broadcasting
Prasad defends govt. handling of Star News case in RS
NEW DELHI: Information and broadcasting minister Ravi Shankar Prasad today juggled criticism and defence admirably. Especially when it came to the Opposition criticism of the government allowing Star News to continue uplinking despite doubts being raised over the company’s funding process.
Prasad admitted that “a prime concern” of the government has been to ensure that ownership and editorial control of television channels telecasting news and current affairs is in Indian hands without any proxy.
However in the same breath, he also said that the government cannot suddenly “switch off” an existing channel (read Star News) even while investigations are on about its antecedents.
(Till the time of writing this piece late in the evening there was no confrimation from the government whether Star News had been given another uplinking extension as the deadline expires midnight).
Pointing out that when Star News filed an application it was simple one, the minister said now a lot of queries — mostly by the I&B ministry — have been raised and details obtained after asking 46 questions. “Since it’s under consideration, it would not be fair for me to comment now,” the minister said amidst a chorus of protest from Opposition members.
The minister was replying to calling attention motion in Rajya Sabha (Upper House) on CAS and uplinking.
An inter-ministerial group has been formed that is looking into various issues of Star News case, the minister said, asking, “Should I stop them (Star News) midway? After all I have to be fair.” Dwelling on the genesis of the guidelines for foreign investment in TV news channels, the minister said that the case of print and electronic medium cannot be termed the same.
When the foreign direct investment guidelines for print was reviewed, no foreign investment was allowed — it was a “closed” regime — but in the electronic medium, many things has been allowed (it’s an “open” regime), the minister said , adding the comparison of two should not be done at this point. Still, striking a conciliatory note Prasad said, “If some more tightening (of laws for the electronic medium) is needed, we are open to it.”
The government came for severe flak from its ally Shiv Sena and main opposition Congress for its uplinking policy that demanded any foreign channel violating norms should not be given uplinking facility.
Congress member Kapil Sibal told the Rajya Sabha that “uplinking policy should be non-discriminatory and any party, which violates norms, should not be given uplinking facility.”
Shiv Sena member Sanjay Nirupam said the FDI policy for foreign channels should be on the lines of one pursued for print media that makes it mandatory for 51 per cent equity for Indian partners, besides the editorial control.
Others who also spoke on the issue included Samajwadi Party member Amar Singh and Congress’ Falerio.
According to Prasad the guidelines, issued on 26 March laid down the following eligibility criteria for a company uplinking news and current affairs channels, including the following: to be registered/incorporated in India under the Companies Act and management control of TV channels are vested in Indian hands; foreign equity holding in the applicant company not to exceed 26 per cent of the total paid up capital; majority of its board of directors to be resident Indians; CEO of the applicant company, known by any designation, and or head of the channel to be resident Indian; and News Editor(s) or authority(ies) exercising editorial control over news and current affairs programmes of the channels to be resident Indians.
Further, by an order of 15 July , an inter-ministerial group has been set up to examine the foreign exchange norms and guidelines, particularly, relating to uplinking of news and current affairs channels. The case of one of the application (Star News), seeking uplinking, as per extant guidelines is under examination, the minister informed the House.
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.
