News Broadcasting
Ravi Sagoo triumphs in BBC Asian Network’s competition
MUMBAI: Ravi Sagoo has beaten off competition from 700 aspiring broadcasters to land a plum job as a radio presenter on the BBC Asian Network in the UK.
On 19 November 2005, the 24-year-old Sagoo will start presenting the national radio station’s Album Chart programme on Saturday afternoons after a panel of five radio producers from the BBC Asian Network decided to award Ravi the slot – after narrowing the final field of hopefuls down to three. Sagoo said, “The whole experience of the competition had a mixed bag of emotions relating to it – lots of excitement and, at the same time, a touch of nerves also. Once the cut was made from 12 to three, I thought I had a good chance. Was I expecting to get the contract? I would say it was 50-50, but you’ve always got to have a touch of faith, which will hopefully carry you through.”
The search for the Asian Network presenter has been a long journey which spanned over seven months around the UK, beginning in April 2005. Ravi has been selected from over 700 hopefuls who initially entered the competition, via post, the BBC New Talent website or by auditioning at the BBC New Talent bus which toured Melas in Bradford; Manchester; city sites in East London; Harrow, West London and Birmingham.
BBC Asian Network assistant editor, Ishfaq Ahmed said, “This was a tough decision – all the finalists were superb. They all had different traits to offer and the decision in the end was to see who would be best suited to the Asian Network presentational style and who would be able to complement our current on-air talent. Ravi complements our existing voices very well but his warm Scottish lilt and his ability to ‘connect’ with our audience just edged it for him.”
The final stage involved Ravi competing against Sandeep Kaur Rai and Hussain Yoosuf. All three finalists took part in a workshop at the Asian Network studios in Leicester, where they met producer Simon Walsh who offered tips to improve their skills – during a day of scripting, playlisting, content-generating, interview arranging and finalising.The finalists were also given the chance to really show what they could do in an individual pre-recorded one-hour programme, which went on air from midnight on 23 October 2005.
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.
