News Broadcasting
BBC on look out for fresh talent for ‘Haath se Haath Mila’
MUMBAI: After recruiting fresh team for its AIDS awareness show – Jasoos Vijay, BBC World Service Trust is hiring again. The NGO arm of BBC World Service this time is on a talent hunt for the second edition of on-location reality show Haath se Haath Mila that airs on Doordarshan’s regional channel and targets the Hindi belt audiences.
The international broadcaster has placed an advertisement in a daily tabloid inviting applications for full-time as well as few part time positions, which are scheduled to start in June 2003. It is mentioned in the ad placed that the BBC is looking out for producers, associate producers, production manager, production assistants, VT editors on full time basis and unit manager and presenter on part time basis, for their Delhi based office.
A joint venture between the BBC World Service Trust, the Indian National AIDS Control Organisation and pubcaster Prasar Bharati – Haath se Haath Mila is the part of an AIDS awareness campaign.
Haath se Haath Mila’s anchors- Daman and Sugandha
The tri-weekly that targets the youth, debut on 9 July 2001 and is aired every Friday at 6:30 pm in Rajasthan, 7:30 pm Saturdays in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. With Hindi film actor Suniel Shetty initially providing an interactive element in the first edition and starring fresh-faced youngsters with non-elite appeal, the production values of this show were rumoured to be higher than the pubcasters normal standards.
The applicants for the post of producer must have a minimum of three years experience in television production of non-fiction formats while the applicants for associate producers must have a minimum of two years relevant experience. As for the post of production manager, interested candidates are required to have knowledge of effective unit and financial management of production and a minimum of three years experience. The selected candidates will manage production and control on-location unit.
The applicants for the post of production assistants must have basic knowledge of television production whereas the candidates for the VT editors’ post must have a minimum of one year experience in non-linear editing and technical knowledge of DV formats and Final Cut Pro. Besides the full time positions, the broadcaster has invited application for the post of unit manager and presenters fluent in Hindi to work on part time basis.
The deadline for receiving application is 28 May 2003, says the advertisement. The applicants have to submit their CV and a covering letter specifying the position applied for at Creative Director, Youth, BBC World Service Trust, D-184, Defense Colony, New Delhi 110024 or e-mail at jobs@bbcwst.org.
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.
