News Broadcasting
BBC to present an insight into Afghanistan
MUMBAI: In the run-up to elections in Afghanistan, BBC News presents a multi-platform insight into life inside the country on 13 September 2005.
The BBC News website, BBC Radio Five Live, the BBC World Service, and BBC World will all be covering the day. They will offer comment, insight and reportage from Afghanistan and looking at the culture, politics and day-to-day life of this often misunderstood country.
On that day the BBC’s aim will be to reveal how life is developing under democracy in Afghanistan including an analysis of health, education, the role of women, and media consumption using material gathered at the BBC Monitoring centre at Caversham. There will also be testimonies from Afghans via bbc.co.uk/afghanistanday. Anchor Lyse Doucet chairs an interactive discussion with input from Afghans and their government.
The BBC News website’s Soutik Biswas plans to take his laptop to a village in Afghanistan where he will talk to residents and put questions from web users to them.
BBC ONE Six O’Clock News: Andrew North with a special report from Afghanistan on how the country is trying to deal with having one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. BBC News 24 will look ahead to the elections on Sunday 18 September and hear from ‘real’ people about their lives and their hopes for a new Afghan government, looking at life through audio and video diaries and through a series of reports from correspondents. Nick Higham examines how Afghanistan has changed over recent years in a special fact file.
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.
