News Broadcasting
Testing Times: Zee-Bhaskar seek damages over media campaign
NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: After reporting news, media companies are making news. Literally.
The Subhash Chandra-promoted Essel group and Bhopal-based Bhaskar group have dragged the big daddy of news paper business, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd, publishers of Times of India and Economic Times, to court over breach of copyright laws relating to a media campaign and sought Rs. 1,000 million in damages, apart from an apology.
The civil suit, filed by the Essel-Bhaskar combine through Diligent Media in Mumbai high court, was heard today.
The petitioner has claimed that its advertisement campaign for a proposed print medium product — `SPEAK UP, ITS IN YOUR DNA’; was “hijacked” by the Times of India group to suit a campaign for Maharashtra Times, a publication of the Times group. It has also been stated that the action of the rival amounted to infringement of copyright laws with a view to derive “unfair business advantage.”
When contacted, Essel Group vice-president Ashish Kaul said, “It certainly was disappointing to see a group of repute indulge in unfair practices.”
When contacted, The Times of India brand director Rahul Kansal says, “TOI has chosen not to comment on this issue for the time being until we formulate what we want to say in this matter.”
The matter came up for hearing today in the court of Justice D.G.Karnik. The counsel for the defendant (TOI group), while stating that the plaintiff had offered not to pursue any legal action through a letter dated 29 March if an unconditional apology is tendered, requested time till 4 April from the court to consider the offer.
According to information available the court heard both the sides and directed Bennett Coleman & Co Ltd not to issue any further advertisements similar or of the same nature as that of the plaintiff. The matter will be heard on Monday.
The Essel-Bhaskar combine, which had announced plans of launching Hindi and English newspapers, had plastered the whole of Mumbai with a teaser campaign that had a picture of a man with the tag line `Speak up, It’s in your DNA.’ Reportedly, the TOI group hurriedly unveiled a campaign, prepared late last week, for a regional newspaper and added the words `Maharashtra Times’ to the DNA tagline to read `Speak Up, it’s in your DNA— Maharashtra Times.’
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.
