News Broadcasting
BBC upholds programme complaint against ‘Top Gear’
MUMBAI: BBC D-G Mark Thompson has expressed confidence about the corporation being on track as far as improving the way complaints are handled is concerned.
The Beeb has published findings of the Programme Complaints Unit (PCU) for the period 1 July to 30 September 2004.
A new complaints procedure, announced earlier this year, will come into operation by early next year. In this quarter the PCU dealt with 284 complaints concerning 191 items.
49 complaints were upheld (seven of them partly). This amounts to 17.5 per cent of the total number of complaints received.
One complaint that was upheld concerned the episode of the car show Top Gear which aired on BBC Two on 25 July 2004.
Three viewers complained of one-sided treatment of the Government’s recent transport policy document and related issues. The BBC found that the treatment was largely in the style of humorous hyperbole which is the hallmark of the host Jeremy Clarkson and his co-presenters, and which is part of the programme’s appeal to its audience.
Established audience expectations of the programme are such that it has some scope to apply its particular brand of humour to topics of interest to motorists, even when those topics relate to matters of public controversy. However the BBC noted that the exchanges in question continued for long enough for it to become clear that, beneath the humour, a case in favour of one side of some controversial issues was being set out, and there should have been an element of balance.
As a result of the complaint The Top Gear production team is working on ways to provide an element of balance (where necessary) in future series, without compromising the programme’s appeal.
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.
