News Broadcasting
BBC World daily audience up 50% among upmarket Europeans: EMS survey
MUMBAI: BBC World’s daily audience has increased by 50 per cent among upmarket Europeans in the past year, thus outperforming all other news and information channels that were measured in the European Media and Marketing Survey (EMS) 2004.
The latest edition of the pan-European research, which measures audience reach among the main income earners in the top 20 per cent of households, also shows BBC World’s audience has increased for the ninth consecutive year of EMS surveys in weekly and monthly categories. BBC world was the only channel to achieve this.
An official release said that BBC World had also added 301,000 daily and 700,000 weekly viewers over the last 12 months, which meant that its weekly audience now stands at 3.8 million among the EMS universe of affluent Europeans. The channel’s monthly reach has grown by 11 per cent to stand at eight million for the first time.
The BBC’s international 24-hour news and information channel recorded double-digit weekly percentage growth in 11 of the 15 countries included in the analysis, notably Italy (up 84 per cent year-on-year), Spain (up 51 per cent), Sweden (up 49 per cent), Norway (up 39 per cent) and Finland (up 32 per cent).
It continues to attract a more influential audience than any other major international channel, with a greater proportion of “Opinion Leaders” (30 per cent of weekly viewers) and business flyers (26 per cent made three or more air trips for work).
The release also added that the channel’s audience growth can also report high levels of audience loyalty which can be seen in two ways. Firstly, its weekly audience in the second half of 2003 was 73,000 higher than in the first half, compared to falls (in one case, of up to a million viewers) for most of its competitors. BBC World’s audience watches for longer as well – the typical viewer tunes in for longer than those for all other international news and business channels except Sky News.
BBC World head of research and planning Jeremy Nye said, “Not only is BBC World continuing to grow, but this growth is accelerating. What emerges most strongly is the loyalty of viewers – recent converts to the channel have continued to watch, and have stayed tuned in for longer than our main competitors.”
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.
