News Broadcasting
BBC to launch online interactive initiative Climate Chaos
MUMBAI: UK pubcaster the BBC will air shows on the science behind and issues surrounding the hottest topic of the day – climate change.
To launch its Climate Chaos season the BBC – in conjunction with Oxford University and the Open University – is inviting its audience in the UK to participate in the biggest online experiment ever undertaken to predict the future climate of the UK.
By logging on to bbc.co.uk/climatechange viewers will help scientists project possible climate scenarios for the UK up to the year 2080. The first stage of the Climate Chaos season kicks off on 20 February.
BBC Four will air Meltdown, a film in which explorer and presenter Paul Rose shows the effects of global warming in Greenland and tells the story of climate changes in the UK. Paul meets Oxford scientist Myles Allen and learns about his work predicting how the UK’s climate will change. At the end of the film Paul invites viewers to participate in the unique experiment by logging on to bbc.co.uk.
Those logging on will be taken by Paul through steps to download a piece of software which connects to a server at Oxford University, and which downloads an individualised version of the Met Office’s state-of-the art global climate model.
The climate model will use the computer’s spare processing time – when the user is not actively working on it but still has it switched on – to make calculations and produce a possible future climate scenario for the UK. Once the programme is downloaded the user does not have to do anything, the computer does all the work, and uploads data back to Oxford automatically.
Those participating can keep track of what is going on by bringing up graphics that show them what year their individual model has reached, and what the temperature is. They can also set the graphics as a screensaver. ack in Oxford, scientists will collate the results which will be revealed in a follow-up programme in the summer. Participants can join the experiment at any point, even after the programme has transmitted.
A standard off-the-shelf computer takes around three months to run the complete simulation to 2080, but project scientists can make use of runs as short as ten model years, taking only a week or so. The more people participate the more accurate a prediction the scientists will be able to make.
Meltdown will be followed in the same week by Climate Conspiracy or Global Catastrophe? which explores the truth behind global warming headlines. Reports from the Front Line of Global Warming is a series of short eyewitness accounts of living with global warming.
On BBC One, Sir David Attenborough undertakes a personal investigation to discover how global warming is changing our world. In a two-part documentary he scrutinises the evidence and asks crucial questions about how and why global warming is affecting the planet. Panorama investigates the reasons behind President Bush’s rejection of the scientific consensus around climate change.
BBC director of television Jana Bennett says, “We know from research that climate change is a subject many viewers are concerned about and regard as a major problem for themselves and the next generation, and yet they also feel that they don’t know enough about it. They look to television, in particular, to inform them and help them make sense of it. The Climate Chaos season seeks to engage and inform viewers about climate change, with programmes across our networks in the biggest interactive season of science programmes ever.”
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.
