News Broadcasting
Zee News may challenge NBSA order on ‘Afzal Premi Gang…”
MUMBAI: Self-regulatory news broadcasters authority NBSA has asked the Hindi news channel Zee News to pay Rs 1 lakh as a fine for the report titled ‘Afzal Premi Gang ka Mushaira’, telecast an apology on 8 September and remove the programme video from Zee website.
In the report, Zee News had referred to Urdu poet and scientist Gauhar Raza as anti-national and a supporter of Afzal Guru who was convited and hanged for 2001 Parliament attack. The channel had telecast one of the poetry recitals of Raza along with the footage of the controversial Jawaharlal Nehru University protests of February 2016.
Zee Media editor Sudhir Chaudhary meanwhile denied violation of NBSA guidelines. The channel, Chaudhary said, was contemplating legal remedies including challenging NBSA order, Mint reported.
Acting on two complaints one by Raza in April 2016 and a joint complaint filed by the singer Shubha Mudgal, actor Sharmila Tagore, poet Ashok Vajpeyi and writer Syeda Hameed, the NBSA chairperson retired justice R.V. Raveendran, in an order dated 31 August, stated that the channel had breached the NBSA guidelines.
NBSA, at a meeting held on 10 January 2017, after viewing the CD, considering the submissions and examining the matter, was of the view that the broadcaster (Zee) had breached the guidelines relating to accuracy, impartiality, neutrality, which required “TV news channels must provide for neutrality by offering equality for all affected parties, players and actors in any dispute or conflict to present their point of view” and “news channels must strive to ensure that allegations are not portrayed as fact and charges are not conveyed as an act of guilt”, fairness, objectivity and privacy as also the “Guidelines on broadcast of potential defamatory content”; that the broadcaster had failed to give an opportunity to Prof Gauhar Raza, who was being reported upon, to give his version/views; that broadcasting a programme using the footage of the JNU incidents with the poetry recital of Prof Raza and giving title to the programme as “Afzal Premi Gang ka Mushaira” was highly inappropriate and derogatory as mere reference by Prof Gauhar Raza while reciting his poetry to “Kanhaiya”, “Nehru University” & “Rohit Vemula”, could not be a ground to brand the poet, the organisers of the Mushaira and the audience as “Afzal Premi Gang”; and that branding all the participants/audience who attended the Mushaira as belonging to a “gang” who admired Afzal Guru, when Gauhar Raza in his poetry recital did not even mention or refer to Afzal Guru, was unwarranted.”
The request of the complainant for award of compensation of Rs.10 million for loss of reputation, and consequences of incitement of hatred and ill-will against him, was not considered, “being beyond the jurisdiction of NBSA.”
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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.
