News Broadcasting
Vivendi files a corrupt organisations complaint against T-Mobile
MUMBAI: Global European media conglomerate Vivendi has announced that it filed a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations Act (Rico) complaint in federal court in the State of Washington in the US.
The charge is that T-Mobile illegally appropriated Vivendi’s $2.5 billion investment in Polish mobile telecom operator Polska Telefonia Cyfrowa (PTC), through a pattern of fraud and racketeering.
Named in the complaint are T-Mobile USA, T-Mobile Deutschland, Deutsche Telekom AG and . Zygmunt Solorz-Zak, who controls another Polish company Elektrim, which is Vivendi’s joint-venture partner for its investment in PTC.
According to the suit, this case involves two companies, Vivendi and T- Mobile, that have substantial business activities in the US, one of whom (T-Mobile) colluded with Mr. Solorz-Zak in a pattern of racketeering activity over US wires as part of an unlawful scheme to take over an enterprise, PTC, and corrupt another enterprise, Elektrim.
Vivendi says that it considers that T-Mobile and Mr. Solorz’ Elektrim illegally appropriated its $2.5 billion investment in PTC and, at every turn, have defied court orders. By filing this Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations Act complaint, it is asking the court for a simple remedy – give back its money or its PTC shares.
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.
