News Broadcasting
India Today Group’s Karnataka Panchayat On March 31
MUMBAI: Top political and business leaders, bureaucrats, technocrats, celebrities and influencers are set to come together at the India Today Group’s Karnataka Panchayat this weekend in Bengaluru to discuss the state’s political, social and economic climate ahead of the May 12assembly elections.
The Panchayat, scheduled for March 31, 2018 at the city’s Hotel Lalit Ashok, will have the newsmakers and decision-makers discuss a range of issues confronting the people of Karnataka.
WHO WILL WIN KARNATAKA?
The March 31 conclave will set the agenda for the upcoming elections that are likely to have a far-reaching impact on national politics.
Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress leader in the Lok Sabha, and party colleague Veerappa Moily will open the Panchayat with his participation in the session titled “Will Congress Retain Karnataka?”
The day-long event will wrap up with a session focusing on the BJP’s prospects, “Will Lotus Bloom in Karnataka”. Party chief Amit Shah will deliver his concluding address after union minister Ananth Kumar’s.
THE BIG KARNATAKA FACE-OFF
The Panchayat will bring political opposites face-to-face.
Union minister Prakash Javadekar and Congress leader Sachin Pilot and the BJP’s Sambit Patra versus the Congress’ Raj Babbar will debate bottom-line issues as India watches the high-stakes race for the May 12 vote.
The Congress’ Jitin Prasada and union minister Babul Supriyo will also be participating in the Panchayat face-offs.
CULTURE AND IDENTITY POLITICS
With regional identity gaining prominence in the Karnataka campaign, speakers from a variety of sectors will exchange views in sessions titled “The Culture Wars” and “The Battle For Karnataka Pride: Whose Identity Is It Anyway”.
Participants will include actors Prakash Raj and Prakash Belawadi, union minister Babul Supriyo and the Congress’ Khushbu Sundar among others.
FUTURE OF INDIA’S IT HUB
The Panchayat will discuss the future of IT industry in Bengaluru in the light of massive job losses in the technology sector.
State minister Priyank Kharge, MP Pratap Simha and Manipal Global Education chairman T.V. Mohandas Pai will present their views in this session.
LAW AND ORDER/ENVIRONMENT
Security and environment experts will speak about challenges emanating from rapid urbanization of the southern state.
IPS officer D. Roopa, former DG and IGP Shankar Bidari and Global Concerns India director Brinda Adige have confirmed participation in a session on law-and-order issues in Karnataka.
Urban expert R.K. Misra, Bengaluru mayor R. Sampath Raj and MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar will be among the speakers in a session titled “Garden City To Garbage City”.
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.
