News Broadcasting
BBC, CNN firm up Indian elections coverage plans
MUMBAI: The two major international news organisations BBC and its American counterpart CNN are devoting a considerable amount of time to cover the Indian elections next month. The results will declared on 13 May.
The BBC has anounced that it will have more journalists covering the Indian elections than any other international news organisation. Its correspondents and camera persons will be reporting from across the country and the region on what the elections mean not only for India but for South Asia and the rest of the world.
The BBC South Asia’s Bureau chief Paul Danahar added: “The outcome of the Indian elections will be a story of global importance and we’ll be treating it that way. We plan to bring our special poll coverage across BBC World, BBC World Service and bbcnews.com of India’s election results to more than 500 million people across the globe.”
The BBC coverage will range from minute-by-minute reporting for the Indian audiences listening in Hindi, Urdu, Tamil, Bengali and English on BBC World Service radio and via online sites bbchindi.com, bbctamil.com, bbcurdu.com, bbcbengali.com and through to the wider international importance of the polls on the BBCs global television news channel BBC World. There will be a huge interactive site on the BBC online news service, bbcnews.com which records 20 million page impressions every day.
On BBC World, BBC World Service radio and BBC News Online South Asia facing site bbcnews.com/southasia the coverage will be led by BBCs India correspondent Sanjeev Srivastava and South Asia correspondents Adam Mynott and Nick Bryant (South Asia Correspondents), with senior journalists joining them from London. BBC World Service radio journalists will be involved in live coverage from across India in Bengali, Hindi, Tamil and Urdu. Specially commissioned reports and in-depth features will examine the political climate before, during and post elections.
BBC World’s show Asia Today will run special India Elections broadcasts. These will feature interviews with key figures, psephologists, election pundits, political commentators and journalists analysing the incoming results and the initiatives of the new government. BBC World news programmes will explore electoral issues in special reports, features and interviews with key personalities throughout the month. There will be special election editions of Question Time India BBC World’s regular panel discussion show that is presented by Dileep Padgaonkar.
CNN’s Delhi bureau chief Satinder Bindra will report on the elections along with his team including Ram Ramgopal and Suhasini Haidar. CNNs’ coverage will focus on some central themes like our thriving outsourcing history, the growing influence of the youth in the electoral process and our search for global power status. CNN will deploy its latest technology called Digital News Gathering. This enables the broadcaster to se up instant live shots.
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.
