News Broadcasting
BBC journalist Doyle wins UN award
MUMBAI: The BBC has announced that its journalist Mark Doyle has won first prize in the United Nations Correspondents Association (UNCA)/UN Foundation Awards.
He won in the reporting on Humanitarian and Developmental affairs category for his coverage of post-war Liberia under a UN peacekeeping mission, produced by Dan McMillan.
Mark and Dan made a series of radio packages in Liberia which were commissioned by Radio 4’s PM programme and BBC World Service. The award was given at the UNCA’s ninth Annual Media Awards.
Mark and Dan spent much of their time deep in the Eastern jungle of Liberia, monitoring the deployment of UN soldiers from Ethiopia and speaking to child soldiers. One of their packages was on a lighter note, however, covering a return visit by former Fifa Player of the Year and former AC Milan striker, Liberian George Weah.
Doyle said, “At least half of this award should go to BBC producer Dan McMillan. He and I worked together shaping the packages and battling the technical difficulties of filing them from some rather tricky locations. Dan and I also want to pay tribute to the extraordinarily resilient people of Liberia.
“Despite the worst efforts of their wartime leaders, the people we met on our trip – church leaders, mothers, farmers – have mostly emerged from the war as dynamic, friendly and optimistic. We can only hope that it is people like these, not more warlords, who rule the Liberia of the future.”
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.
