News Broadcasting
BBC’s interactive mystery adventure for website
MUMBAI: The search for a pop star albeit a missing one goes online! This is an initiative that BBC is hoping will give its online broadband content a boost. BBC interactive Drama & Entertainment (iD&E) has commissioned Jamie Kane, an interactive mystery for teenagers
The show uses video, mobile and artificial intelligence to immerse its target audience in the world of a missing pop star. The project is scheduled to appear on bbc.co.uk early next year.
The script has been written by author, Matt Beaumont and centres on the mystery disappearance of fictional pop star, Jamie Kane played by stage actor Simon Bailey
The BBC claims that Jamie Kane is more complex than an traditional online game and more interactive than any linear drama. The catch is that only by immersing themselves in the fictional world of Jamie Kane and his fan club will players be able to solve the mystery.
Production is currently underway in London. BBC has looked to exploit the full potential of the web by squirreling away clues on fictional websites and offering artificial intelligence conversations, created by Creative Virtual, specialists in chatbot technology.
Daily updates via email and mobile phone messages, if they choose to sign up for the experience, will help users with the search for their pop idol.
By solving a number of hidden puzzles, commissioned from BIMA-award-winning online games agency, Preloaded, players receive new clues to help them in the search. Each game is designed to test a player’s powers of observation, memory and logic.
Jamie Kane combines artificial intelligence to generate messages from other ‘fans’ on the trail of the pop star, and video footage to create an authentic fan site. Ii will include mock performances and media interviews from the fictional performer, amongst them a Top of the Pops one-to-one with presenter Fearne Cotton.
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.
