News Broadcasting
UK audience want TV, radio content regulated
BIRMINGHAM: Audiences want television and radio content to be regulated, but they can imagine a future in which a ‘multi-layered’ approach to regulating channels might be possible. This was revealed in a joint research published by the Broadcasting Standards Commission (BSC), Independent Television Commission (ITC) and Radio Authority yesterday.
The report called Broadcasting Standards Regulation provides opinions from groups of adults about current regulatory codes for radio and television. Groups of 20 participants in the UK were interviewed during a series of three one-day participative forums, a company release states.
The survey showed that participants consider regulation necessary to ensure acceptable standards and to protect children from offensive or harmful material. Television, in particular, is felt to be a dominant and influential medium, which both mirrors and influences society.
The survey also showed that according to most respondents, regulating broadcasting content is something which contributes to the general good of society. Participants expressed concern that without regulation, broadcasters would show “what they like, when they like”.
A female viewer from Birmingham was quoted in the release as saying, “If there was no regulation you could have porn movie at nine o’clock in the morning followed by cartoons, followed by something else.”
The area causing most concern was violence, with sexual content and strong language following behind. Some participants, especially parents, worry that strong language, in particular, might encourage imitative behaviour.
There was concern about radio talk shows featuring strong language or sexual innuendo. A sizable minority have fears about the breakdown of society and the influence of television on young people, with portrayals of casual sex, drug taking, gang culture and crime.
When asked whether all radio and television channels should be treated in the same way, with the same rules, at first participants agreed. However, over the course of the discussions, they said they could conceive of a future in which a ‘multi-layered’ approach was adopted, with some differences between expectations of the most popular channels (such as the terrestrial channels, Sky One, etc) and the smaller, niche channels, the release says. Similarly, there could be differences between the expectations of national and local radio stations.
The survey also reveal that participants feel radio should be regulated with a ‘safe zone’ policy priority for all listeners, including children, not to create a watershed but a sense of reasonable expectation from radio stations, so they know how and when to avoid potentially offensive material.
For television, in addition to the Watershed, ideas suggested to complement the current regulatory environment include pre-transmission and on-screen warnings, helping people to make informed opinions about programme content. Sky viewers feel more in control of their viewing, with devices such as locks and PIN numbers to monitor and regulate viewing, the study shows.
UK participants also want to see regulation of broadcast advertising continue, at least as strictly as that for other broadcasting content, since it is unplanned viewing and viewers don’t get a choice about whether to see it or not. They were in favour of teleshopping channels having to comply with the same rules as spot advertising – and some consider even stricter rules should apply to teleshopping. Radio advertising caused less concern than television advertising.
Sponsorship of programmes is tolerated by most, who accept that it is a useful source of revenue for the broadcasters and one which, under current regulation, does not impact on the editorial integrity of editorial content. However, participants do not want to see sponsorship of news, current affairs or investigative programmes allowed, or for more direct relationships between sponsors and programmes, the survey suggests.
Editorial integrity is particularly important in news programmes, where viewers and listeners want facts to be clearly distinguished from opinion. They are tolerant of opinionated news on local radio, but not on national radio or on television.
Overall, British news services were felt to be trustworthy and impartial, although interestingly it appears that a degree of partiality is expected during a war, so as to speak from a national perspective.
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.
