News Broadcasting
BBC launches news in Indian languages, ties up with Eenadu and India News
MUMBAI: BBC has launched news services in four Indian languages – Marathi, Gujarati, Telugu and Punjabi as it expanded business in the country for which BBC director-general Anthony William “Tony” Hall has arrived. BBC Duniya, a nightly television news bulletin in Hindi, has also been relaunched; it will be telecast on India News.
The Punjabi service will initially be online and on social media and include video coverage. BBC, in its blurb, advertised Punjabi as the eleventh most spoken language in the world, used by 100 million people — the highest in Pakistan. Among the popular Punjabis, it stated, are the former Indian prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh, seven Indian army chiefs and six Air Force chiefs.
Formally opening a BBC bureau in Delhi, BBC’s largest outside the UK, the D-G said that the audience in India had trusted the BBC for decades for bringing them independent and impartial news, and millions would get the chance to access BBC in their own languages, IBNS reported. Expanding the news bureau in Delhi and opening two television studios is a part of the UK Government’s Rs 25 billion (GBP 291 million) investment in India.
BBC, which has now partnered India News and Eenadu TV, was already held in great regard across India, and BBC News was being offered to new audience, especially the next generation. BBC has recruited 150 smart journalists from across the country, the D-G added.
The new services would also be available online and on social media, with BBC Prapancham, a Telugu TV bulletin which will be aired on Eenadu TV (Telangana) and Eenadu TV (Andhra Pradesh).
Eenadu TV Network CEO K Bapineedu said, that the BBC initiative to produce international stories in the Telugu language to be aired on ETV Network will add value to their endeavour of reaching the Telugu audience with the highest reach and authenticity.
India News operator-owner iTV Network founder-promoter Kartikeya Sharma said that BBC was famed for its unbiased and well-researched content which would be reaching its viewers in a format and language they could comprehend.
News Broadcasting
Network18 posts Rs 1,955 crore revenue, narrows FY26 losses
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.
