News Broadcasting
BBC documentary commissioner Nicola Moody calls it a day
MUMBAI: Nicola Moody who is BBC’s commissioner for documentaries and contemporary factual series has called it a day. She has decided not to proceed with an application to take a commissioning editor role in the newly streamlined factual commissioning team.
Moody was instrumental in the revamp of BBC’s car show Top Gear. BBC Television director Jana Bennett said, “I am very sad to lose Nicola as she has been a key member of the senior television team for a number of years, but I do completely understand her desire for a fresh challenge.
“She has brought the kind of broad perspective that comes from her career having spanned in-house production, the independent sector, commissioning and running a channel. The same fantastic diversity she has in experience is mirrored in the award-winning output she has delivered across the BBC’s family of channels – from Great Britons and Restoration to Himalaya with Michael Palin, The Hunt for Britain’s Paedophiles.”
Moody commented, ” I am very proud of the successful range of programmes I’ve brought to all four channels and it was a wonderful experience running BBC Four but I have decided that it is time for a new challenge. I’ve thought long and hard about what I want to do with the next phase of my career and while I will miss everyone enormously, there is a lot going on in the wider industry and I want to be part of it.”
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.
