News Broadcasting
Mark Thompson new BBC director general
MUMBAI: Veteran television executive Mark Thompson is the new director general of BBC. Thompson, the chief executive of the private Channel 4 television, will replace Greg Dyke, who resigned following the scandal over BBC’s reporting on Britain’s pre-war intelligence about Iraq.
Lord Hutton, the senior appeals judge who led the investigation had harshly criticised the BBC for a May 2003 report that had quoted an anonymous source as saying the government had ‘sexed up’ evidence on Iraqi weapons to justify war.
This is a homecoming of sorts for Thompson, who had been with the BBC for 23 years, holding many positions in news and current affairs including director of its television division. After quitting the BBC, Thompson, 46, had joined Channel 4 as chief executive more than two years ago.
To a question on boosting the staff morale at the BBC in the wake of the Hutton Inquiry, Thompson is quoted as saying the staff could be very confident about the BBC’s future, although there were lessons to be learned from recent months.
“I worked for the BBC for 23 years and saw any number of crises and changes, journalistic and otherwise,” he said.
Welcoming Thompson’s appointment, the government’s culture secretary Tessa Jowell is quoted in the media reports as saying, “Mark Thompson is one of our most distinguished public service broadcasters. His experience, skills and enthusiasm will give renewed confidence and direction to the BBC, who now have an outstanding team with Michael Grade as chairman.”
Speaking on behalf of the BBC’s board of directors, Grade is quoted as saying Thompson was the right person to lead the BBC at this important period in its history.
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.
