News Broadcasting
BBC launches corporate responsibility report
MUMBAI: The BBC has launched its first corporate responsibility report, Living Public Value in the UK.
The report describes how the BBC adds public value through serving its audiences responsibly both on-air and off-air. From Children in Need to pan-BBC initiatives such as Fat Nation, the BBC connects with people throughout the UK to help enrich their lives.
BBC D-G Mark Thompson said, “The BBC’s founders believed that broadcasting could make the world a better place. Public intervention would ensure that its astonishing creative power – to enrich individuals with knowledge, culture and information about their world, to build more cohesive communities, to engage the people of the UK and the whole globe in a new conversation about who we are and where we are going – would be put to work to the sole benefit of the public.”
Following the pilot project, iCan will be rolled out in the UK. In partnership with do-it.org a key part of the new service will be a portal for people who want to volunteer. The BBC will also develop a pan-BBC policy on human rights in recognition that it operates in countries ith oppressive regimes. The policy will aim to make explicit and reinforce the value of reporting from these countries as well as set the standards to ensure that the BBC itself does not infringe good practice.
Furthermore the BBC will finalise standards for managing its supply chain relationships. Working closely with its commercial divisions, a comprehensive policy will be drawn up addressing ethical purchasing decisions, setting minimum standards for the BBC’s suppliers and developing a process to monitor best practice.
Thompson added, “We have recently set out a demanding vision for the BBC’s future in Building Public Value. Our values commit us to serve the public interest by being a responsible corporate citizen. This report tells some of the story of how the BBC and its people – day in, day out – are building public value through serving people and acting responsibly through long-held initiatives, programme-linked activities and corporate actions – all of which are integral to our core purpose of enriching people’s lives.”
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.
