News Broadcasting
BBC to launch new business programme from India
MUMBAI: The BBC is launching a new business programme, broadcasting from the BBC’s Delhi bureau and air on both BBC World Service English (radio) and BBC World News (TV). The show, WorklifeIndia, will start from 9 November at 9 pm.
BBC Global News India COO Naveen Jhunjhunwala said, “We are very excited to be collaborating with BBC World Service to bring this new programme to BBC World News viewers, thanks to our special Delhi studio adapted for both radio and TV, particularly as Ipsos has just named the BBC as the top international news brand in India this week.”
The show will be a half-hour weekly programme providing real-time conversations on the realities of modern life. Anchored from the Delhi studio, specially adapted for TV and radio, and presented by Divya Arya and Devina Gupta, it will tackle issues around money, work, family, business and finance for both a South Asian audience and global audience. The aim is to offer a positive understanding of the changing factors that shape all our lives. The programme will then go daily in Spring 2019, and will also be available as a podcast.
BBC Indian languages head Rupa Jha said, “It is a programme about money and opportunity but one that’s also about saving, spending, and sharing what money can give and recognising the daily reality of a world of huge opportunities and huge disparities.”
The programme will pick up on key issues to extract global lessons from local issues. Guests and panelists will be drawn from the business community, academics and experts in Delhi and Mumbai. The show will also leverage the wealth of expertise and talent in the BBC’s Delhi and Mumbai bureaus from across the BBC’s English and Language services. It will also draw on the business unit's expertise and contacts in London, New York, Singapore and elsewhere.
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.
