News Broadcasting
Trai moots 100% foreign ownership in satellite radio
MUMBAI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), today gave the green signal for 100 per cent foreign ownership in satellite radio services with no entry and licence fee for the time being.
In the recommendations, Trai said that it would desirable to provide a licensing framework now itself so that there is no uncertainty in the future.
The regulatory body also recommended that there shouldn’t be any entry fee unless there was an excess demand for the available spectrum space in which case tenders may be invited on the lines recommended for FM radio. It also said adding the Government should not levy any annual licence fee as long as terrestrial repeaters were not permitted.
Some of the major recommendations include:
Regulation and Monitoring
- There should be only one license for carriage and the licensee would be responsible to the licensor for content regulation.
- AIR Programme code and Advertisement code should be made applicable to Satellite Radio also.
- A common uplinking and downlinking policy should be evolved for both television and radio taking into account all aspects including security. This common policy should determine the uplinking policy for Satellite Radio also.
Licensing
- It would be desirable to provide a licensing framework now itself so that there is no uncertainty in the future.
- 100 per cent foreign ownership should be permitted, as already permitted to the only operator.
- There should not be any entry fee unless there is excess demand for the available spectrum space in which case tenders may be invited on the lines recommended for FM Radio.
- There should be no annual license fees as long as terrestrial repeaters are not permitted. Once these repeaters are permitted a revenue share of four per cent of gross revenue generated in India should be imposed as has already been recommended for FM radio.
Technical Considerations
- It should be mandatory for satellite radio operators to provide addressability to every subscriber, which is capable of blocking unwanted channel or group of channels.
- Initially, multi standard receivers which can be used with different transmission standards need not be mandated for potential satellite radio operators.
- A single license may be issued to provide satellite radio service and complementary terrestrial service to the potential service providers. This license should be issued to the Indian subsidiary only to ensure no legal complications in enforcing regulation and collection of license fees.
- The terrestrial repeaters should be permitted only for the re-broadcast of their signal from the satellite and should not be allowed to broadcast locally inserted programmes.
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.
