News Broadcasting
UK govt in favour of BBC Worldwide sale
MUMBAI: The fate of BBC Worldwide hangs in the balance. While the Beeb is said to have decided against selling its commercial arm reports indicate that the British government is pressuring it to do so.
That is because the Blair government wants the BBC to partially finance the transition from analogue to a fully digitised Britain. It does not want the BBC to take the license fee route to foot the bill.
However the government added that the BBC was independent and it would not interfere in its decisions. The full cost of switching from analogue to digital is likely to run into hundreds of millions of pounds, according to internal estimates at the BBC.
A report in This Is London added that this would include upgrading transmission masts and a nationwide advertising campaign to inform consumers of the changes.
While the corporation will not shoulder the entire costs, which will be met by a consortium of broadcasters, transmission companies and retailers, its bill is likely to be considerable.
Another report in The Independent stated that instead of selling its commercial arm the BBC will look to double profits at BBC Worldwide. The situation was very different in September when the Beeb had invited bids from Time Warner, Disney and Germany’s Bertelsmann.
The Government wants the BBC to pay its share from selling BBC Worldwide rather than from licence fee income. The future of BBC Worldwide is currently under review. The government is keen that the British public not pay BBC’s bill through the licence fee.
Last year BBC Worldwide made a profit of ?37 million on sales of ?657 million. BBC Worldwide is not the only commercial arm of the BBC under scrutiny. The future of BBC Resources, the production facilities service, and BBC Broadcast, are also being considered as part of the commercial review that coincides with the review of the BBC’s next five-year charter starting in 2007.
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.
