News Broadcasting
‘Apprentice’ third season pits book smarts against street smarts
MUMBAI: In order to prevent the formula from getting stale US broadcaster NBC has announced that the third season of the reality show The Apprentice will not feature a battle of the sexes.
Instead the show will witness a battle between book smarts and street smarts as well as theory against practicality. The third season kicks off on 20 January 2005. In India the show airs on Star World.
For the uninitiated the show is hosted by corporate magnate Donald Trump who also serves as the show’s executive producer. The winner gets to be an employee of Trump and gets an annual salary of $250,000. He said, “For the third season of The Apprentice, Mark Burnett (creator and executive producer) and I have decided to take the series into a new realm. We wanted to see what would happen if we pitted college grads (book smarts) against high school grads (street smarts).
“The result makes for fascinating television. Who will you root for? You’ll also discover that we chose candidates who are more relatable— along the lines of Sam, Troy and Amy.”
One of the participants is 28 year old Tara. She is the senior manager of government and community relations for the Port Commerce Department of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. In this capacity she is responsible for managing the public relations for a multi-billion dollar port development project.
Meanwhile 22 year old Audrey from Salt Lake City, Utah is a real estate agent She never had the chance to continue her education after high school but has succeeded in her profession. She is currently working on her broker’s license while launching a non-profit organisation for high school students to help them pursue their dream career.
32 year old John currently owns two successful businesses in the Sunshine State Florida. One is an insurance agency while the other is an IT consulting firm. Before moving back to Florida, John owned and operated several restaurants across the US including a popular nightclub in Atlanta.
Tana from Middle America Des Moines, Iowa is a wife, mother of two, and succesful entrepreneur. She owns several start-up companies including an internet commerce business. Her business savvy was first noted at the age of nine when she sold telephone accessories door-to-door and depleted her inventory in record time.
Tana’s highly competitive spirit has led her to be one of the top sales women in the Mary Kay Organisation. Tana’s strong work ethic has served her well in all aspects of life and she is a firm believer that you create your own destiny.
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.
