News Broadcasting
BBC Radio’s record breaking 250 millionth request in 2005
MUMBAI: The BBC Radio Player – which allows people to listen to BBC programmes on the Internet – has reached another significant milestone in clocking up its 250 millionth request for on demand programming, 100 million of which have been in 2005.
The figures were released as BBC Radio websites broke all their previous records in October, with 7.7 million unique user agents visiting the sites and listening to 16.4 million hours of radio online.
More than 134 million hours – that’s almost 15,345 years of continuous listening -.of BBC Radio have been consumed via the Internet this year. Leading the on demand charge in October was BBC Radio 4, which experienced a 25 per cent increase in on demand listening hours. .
BBC Radio and Music Interactive controller Simon Nelson said, “These incredible figures show that people really value the option of listening online and catching up with their favourite programmes if they miss them.”
The figures also show that since January there have been a massive 4.5 million requests for The Archers on demand. The Archers received more than 700,000 listening requests – double the programme’s average monthly requests during 2004 – whilst new series Empire debuted at number five in the On Demand Top 30.
BBC 6 Music’s rebroadcast of John Peel’s 1967 BBC radio debut, as part of its 6 Music Plays It Again strand, became the network’s most requested ever programme on demand and contributed to a record 300,000 monthly on demand listening requests for the network.
BBC Radio 1’s Keeping It Peel minisite generated three million page impressions in October and helped push the network over three million monthly unique user agents for the first time.
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.
