News Broadcasting
Ted turner: The Maverick man
MUMBAI: CNN founder, Ted Turner, is the subject of a 60-minute profile encompassing his remarkable life and achievements. Reported by CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer, TED TURNER: THE MAVERICK MAN explores his difficult early years, his extraordinary career, his legendary America’s Cup win, Turner’s historic humanitarian and cable television legacies – and everything in between. The documentary will air on Sunday, November 24 at 4.30pm IST.
Blitzer traveled to Atlanta, Georgia, and outside of Bozeman, Montana – to Turner’s Flying D Ranch – where Turner works to preserve bison and land and water reserves for future generations – for the exclusive profile as Turner approaches his 75th birthday in 2013. During revealing interviews with Blitzer, Turner opens up about his successes and failures, both personal and in business. Intimate interviews with Turner’s five children and key figures in his life, including ex-wife Jane Fonda, President Jimmy Carter, broadcaster Larry King, MLB players Phil Niekro and Dale Murphy, and former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn, add additional layers to the complex portrait.
“Ted Turner has done for the broadcast media industry what Steve Jobs and Bill Gates have done for technology and personal communications,” Blitzer said. “From this in-depth look behind Ted’s hard won achievements and biographical challenges, viewers will come to understand the man we know today.”
The film features first-hand accounts from Turner on founding his first “Super Station” and rapidly transforming that venture into a global media company. Of CNN’s ground-breaking, enterprising broadcast coverage of the 1991 Iraq War, Turner reflected it as still the “greatest scoop in the history of journalism.”
In the film, Fonda describes her first meeting – and being wooed by – her former husband and describes their enduring friendship and love for one another. Carter describes how Turner hatched the idea to pursue Fonda – during a fly-fishing trip at Turner’s Flying D ranch.
In addition, Nunn and Turner’s children describe Turner’s environmental passions and the motivation for his historic United Nations Foundation gift and other philanthropies. Murphy and Niekro share memories of Turner’s purchase of the Atlanta Braves Major League Baseball team – and the team’s triumphant march from last to first place in the League. Exclusive family videos and photos are also included in the hour.
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.
