News Broadcasting
BBC Learning English launches on Chinese portal Sina
MUMBAI: Visitors to Chinese web portal, sina.com.cn, can now learn English with the BBC. The site offers its users direct access to the BBC Learning English content specially tailored for Chinese-speakers.
BBC Learning English teaches various points of the English language through human interest stories and topics including UK lifestyle and culture.
Visitors to sina.com.cn now can learn to read, write and speak English through the BBC’s four popular Learning English features: Take Away English, Quizzes, Ask About Britain and Off The Pitch.
Take Away English consists of units which learners can literally “take away” as MP3 and PDF text downloads. Topics, which range from the latest Harry Potter book and online gaming to Chinese football players, include listening and reading exercises and an audio glossary.
The Quizzes section offers learners an interactive test of their English vocabulary and grammar and helps them with teacher feedback. Ask About Britain answers users’ questions on British life and culture while Off The Pitch helps football enthusiasts to learn new words and phrases on the game.
Commenting on the partnership deal with sina.com.cn, BBC World Service Business Development Manager for China and North Asia, Raymond Li said, “We are delighted to partner with sina.com.cn to provide quality English learning content in China. The Internet has become an increasingly popular and effective learning platform among young people, and to cater for this audience the BBC has been building up successful partnerships with a number of Chinese portals over last few years. This latest partnership with sina.com.cn will help us reach more online learners in China, therefore bringing more benefit to them, too.”
sina.com.cn executive VP and chief editor Tong Chen says, “As the world’s number one Chinese portal site, sina.com.cn is very pleased to have BBC as our partner. This co-operation will enable us to provide online users in China with the most authoritative, professional, advanced English learning materials in the world, thus helping to improve English teaching and learning all over China.”
BBC Learning English offers English language teaching programmes and online content for a global radio and online audience. English learning materials are available online at bbclearningenglish.com and, for Chinese speakers, on bbcchina.com.cn.
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.
