News Broadcasting
BBC DG Thompson stresses need for radical change
MUMBAI: BBC’s new Director-General (DG) Mark Thompson had a clear message to a staff gathering of the need for real, radical change over the next few years.
Outlining a restructuring of the BBC’s executive committee, Thompson also announced reviews into its commercial businesses, production and commissioning, and how to increase efficiencies and control costs through self help.
He said, “Without great programmes, great content, we’re nothing. Our task is going to be to change the BBC more rapidly and radically over the next three to five years than at any previous point in its history. We believe that over the next decade the BBC will have a bigger role than ever in building public value, creating a far more open, responsive, agile BBC and always putting our audiences first.
One of his first moves will be to make the structure of the BBC simpler, more effective and more able to adapt and change. This will be done through the creation of three new boards, covering the BBC’s main activities.
Thompson said that since he left the BBC in early 2002 to become Chief Executive of Channel 4, both the BBC and he had changed and he was coming back with fresh eyes.
Thompson will chair a cross media creative board made up of all the divisions that drive the BBC’s creative work. Alan Yentob who is currently BBC’s drama and entertainment director will also become its creative director.
BBC Deputy DG Mark Byford, in an enhanced role, will now lead all BBC’s journalism. He will chair a new Journalism Board. This will bring all BBC’s journalism at an international, UK, national, regional and local level together for the first time.
Finance director John Smith will chair the third board. This will covering the BBC’s commercial businesses, giving greater strategic clarity and realising economic and creative potential.
He will also be BBC COO. He is in charge of all the BBC’s commercial and resourcing subsidiaries, as well as leading its finance and property departments.
Thompson said the creation of the three boards meant he could reduce the BBC’s Executive Committee from 16 people to a tighter Executive Board of nine.
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.
