News Broadcasting
Trai may sue Sony Discovery & Zee Turner
NEW DELHI: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) is contemplating legal action against One Alliance and Zee Turner for non-compliance of the regulator’s separate directives on restoring signals to cable operators.
Speaking to indiantelevision.com today evening, a senior Trai official admitted that taking legal action in a court of law is an option, which is “being studied” at the moment.
This has been necessitated as Trai cannot penalise in any way anybody for non-compliance of a directive of the regulator. “Because we cannot impose a fine or penalise errant parties, we have to seek help from courts,” the official said, clarifying that, however, legal succour has to come from courts other than a high court as it does not handle such cases.
Since Trai would have to move a court of law in the places where the incidents of disconnections have taken place — in Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh and Kerala — it is expected to be a lower court.
“We also cannot put a time frame on taking up this legal option as certain internal procedures will have to be completed,” the Trai official said.
When contacted, SET Discovery president Shantanu Aditya declined to comment on the issue. Zee Turner was not available for comments.
While One Alliance, a joint venture between Sony and Discovery India, did not restore bouquet signals to a cable operator in Allahabad despite directions from Trai to do so, Zee Turner had moved TDSAT against Kerala-based MSO, Asianet. In both the cases signals have been blocked by the distributors owing to alleged outstanding dues.
In Zee Turner’s case, though TDSAT is hearing the disputed case, it has not stayed the Trai directive on restoration of signals, which has emboldened the regulator to propose legal cases against One Alliance and Zee Turner.
One Alliance has rushed to the Delhi high court challenging TRAI’s authority over financial matters.
Meanwhile, Trai has extended the transition period for another 60 days under Clause 3.7 of the Telecommunication (Broadcasting & Cable) Services Interconnection Regulations, 2004, which had been had been issued on 10 December, 2004. This has been done as a proposal had been received by Trai to this effect.
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.
