News Broadcasting
Sandy Brown to head CNBC Asia
The Sporty gent is back. This time, the former ESPN-Star Sports Asia chief Alexander P. “Sandy” Brown is hopping on to the business channel bandwagon. Brown, who is an old hand in Asia and in media with more then nine years experience and 15 years experience respectively in each of these two, has been named president & chief executive officer of CNBC Asia Pacific effective immediately. He will be based in Singapore, the CNBC Asia Pacific Board announced today.
Prior to this appointment, Brown, 39, was the president and chief operating officer of Virtual Spectator Inc, a New York-based 3-D animation technology company.
“I’m looking forward to the opportunity to return to Asia to lead CNBC’s efforts in the region,” says Brown. “The CNBC brand connotes the best in global business news and the challenge to further develop it in Asia is an exciting one.”
President of the International group of Dow Jones and Dow Jones’ lead director on the CNBC Asia Pacific board Karen Elliott House says: “Sandy Brown will bring significant knowledge to CNBC Asia Pacific from his experience in the region and in the television industry. He has strong management capabilities and the ability to lead CNBC Asia Pacific to greater success, and we are delighted that he’s joined us.”
Bill Bolster, who supervises all of CNBC’s international operations for NBC and is NBC’s lead director of CNBC Asia Pacific says, “Sandy Brown has the experience to extend the scope of CNBC’s financial programming and further enhance the world’s best business brand. We are delighted to have him at CNBC.”
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.
