News Broadcasting
BBC journalist Kate Peyton shot dead in Somalia
MUMBAI: Another casualty has been added to the list of journalists who have been shot dead while on duty. The incident took place in the Somalian capital of Mogadishu when Kate Peyton, 39, a BBC producer was shot at by militiamen outside the Sahafi Hotel.
She was making a series of reports on Somalia with another BBC reporter Peter Greste and had just arrived in Mogadishu when she was hit. Greste suffered no injuries
Peyton was taken to hospital and was operated upon for a bullet wound to her back, but died later of internal bleeding, the BBC said.
BBC News head Helen Boaden said she would be “greatly missed… Kate was one of our most experienced and respected Foreign Affairs producers who had worked all over Africa and all over the world. “
BBC director general Mark Thopson said he was “profoundly shocked and saddened” by the killing. “Kate had worked for the BBC since 1993 and was dedicated to covering news across the African continent.”
Peyton was based in Johannesburg. The reason for the shooting was not known at the time of the announcement of her death.
Somalia has been without an effective government since 1991 when the regime of Mohamed Siad Barre was toppled, following which the country has been in a state of anarchy and has been festering with factional violence, other websites have reported.
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.
