News Broadcasting
BBC to relay four World Cup matches live on AIR
MUMBAI: Fifa World Cup 2006 seems to be generating considerable buzz in India. More than just the scores, the All India Radio (AIR) service promises live commentary for the opening match, semi-finals, and the final.
For this AIR has entered into an agreement with the BBC World Service. The play-by-play commentary will be given by iconic commentators of BBC Radio Five Live Allen Green and John Murray.
BBC World service will unfold all the events that will take place at the opening match between Germany and Costa Rica. BBC also brings former England manager Graham Taylor who will provide the summary of the match. This is for the first time that BBC World will be executing live commentary for AIR around the World Cup.
Speaking to indiantelevision.com, BBC World Service senior commissioning editor Neil Curry says, “I am delighted with the opportunity to showcase BBC sport journalism to our listeners in India. As per the deal we will do live commentary for All India Radio listeners for the opening ceremony, the two semi-finals and the finals.”
Curry is hopefull that the arrangement for live commentary will be extended to the other matches as well, saying: “AIR is endeavoring to acquire the rights on other important matches (as well); nevertheless, we are waiting for a word on that.”
BBC World Service has already been carrying out the World Cup programming for AIR. The BBC Hindi reporter Manak Gupta has been bringing special reports on all 32 teams.
The various aspects covered so far include country profiles, What is the World Cup?, World Cup History , History of the Trophy , Profile of Brazil – the favourite team, that has won the World Cup the most number of times. What is it about this nation that makes them World Cup specialists?
Besides the above package, BBC World has also created other packages that have been relayed on AIR. These include: Most successful, The greatest players, The Indian perspective and a detailed interview with veteran football expert Novi Kapadia.
BBC Hindi World Cup reports will be heard for six weeks on India’s main national broadcaster All India Radio’s Gold 106.4 FM and Rajdhani 666 MW. These reports will also be relayed by All India Radio’s 65 other major stations at 07.05 local time every day until 10 July. These special World Cup reports will also be available in text and audio online at bbchindi.com and bbcnews.com.
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.
