News Broadcasting
Swamy demands President’s rule as Times Now exposes ISI funding stone-pelters via Hurriyat
MUMBAI: Times Now, one of the leading English news channels last Saturday (6 May) had revealed the funding nexus between Pakistan intelligence agency ISI and Hurriyat leaders to keep alive the separatist movement in Jammu & Kashmir, a Times release stated.
BJP MP Subramanian Swamy, reacting to the expose, has demanded for President’s rule in Kashmir. “We need immediate President’s rule in Kashmir,” said Subramanian Swamy, BJP MP, in reaction to the story.
There are a slew of documents that have been accessed by Times Now, showing the nexus between Pakistan and the separatist leaders responsible for radicalising the youth in Jammu and Kashmir, the release added.
The historic revelation has taken the political establishment by surprise. The Prime Minister’s Office taking note of the expose has asked for a close watch to be kept of financial activities of businessman associated with Kashmiri separatist, the release added.
Times Now editor in chief Rahul Shivshankar said, “The #PakistanKeDalal story kept viewers glued to their screens and Twitterati busy all day. The story trended for over eight hours and generated cumulative reach that was over four times that of any other news channel.”
The expose showed how Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI has routed Rs 70 lakh or more to stone-pelters in Jammu and Kashmir through Hurriyat leader Shabir Shah, the release added.
It has also been revealed that an ISI man named Ahmad Sagar was constantly in touch with Shah, who belongs to the Hurriyat in Srinagar. As per information available with Times Now, Pakistan ISI channeled the money to Sagar, who then transferred it to Shah, the main accused in this story. Surprisingly, Sagar is known to be a close to Pakistan high commissioner to India Abdul Basit, the release added.
The investigation by Times Now establishes that Pakistan has not only been promoting cross-border terrorism, but also funding internal separatists in India to promulgate their ‘Azaadi movement”.
The ‘Nation’s Darkest Secret – Pakistan Ke Dalal’ mega expose on TIMES NOW created ripples over social media through the weekend. #PakistanKeDalal trended in India for over 8 hours on 6th May with #ISIAgentHurriyat, #ISIAgentBurhan, #Suparijihadi etc keeping the Twitteratti buzzing. These conversations garnered a worldwide reach of 2384 million on Twitter. {Source: https://frrole.ai/scout (Data for 6 & 7 May 2017)}
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.
