News Broadcasting
BBC goes ‘glocal’ with online news service
LONDON: Next time you log on the Beeb’s online news service, you will have access to content more relevant to the country of your origin.
Using the same BBC News online material, international and UK users will now have the choice of separate news editions with agendas relevant to their needs. According to a company release, international visitors to the BBC’s news services on the web will be able to choose from a new publicly-funded World Edition at BBCNews.com from 23 July, a section that features news and analyses emphasising a global news agenda.
BBCNews.com also offer easier access to international coverage of sport, arts, science and technology, as well as the BBC World Service’s site which features text and audio in 43 languages, the release adds. The cost of providing a news agenda more relevant to international users is being met entirely from the BBC World Service’s grant-in-aid from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, it says.
Costs for the supply of BBC News to the BBC World Service are already met through grant-in-aid. Users in the UK meanwhile will be able to choose a UK edition through BBCi, including – as now – full world coverage, but giving greater prominence to UK stories and features at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news. The same news reporting will be available to all users – the difference being the way in which it is presented for each audience.
Both public service gateways will be free of advertising and give access to all the web content produced by the BBC. Users of the BBC News site (either from the UK or abroad) will be given the choice of direct access to their preferred edition – either international or UK and will be automatically directed there on subsequent visits.
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.
