News Broadcasting
BBC World most trusted channel: IATS survey
MUMBAI: BBC World has been rated as the most trusted international news channel, according to International Air Travellers Survey (IATS), Global 2005.
BBC won with 46 per cent among those surveyed voting for it, ahead of TV5 (, CNBC, Bloomberg and CNN.
The survey was conducted across 25 major airports, investigating international travellers’ consumption of global television channels and publications.
When asked about their most recent television viewing, 9.8 per cent of international travellers surveyed had watched BBC World the previous day, 18.3 per cent in the last week and 25.8 per cent in the last month. As evidence of BBC World’s strength over non-general news, daily audience figures exceed CNBC’s weekly viewership of 6.4 per cent, as well as Bloomberg’s monthly audience of 4.4 per cent.
The gap between CNN and BBC World’s reach has reduced considerably in recent years, according to a BBC World release. In 2002, BBC World’s daily reach was approximately half of CNN. The latest results show BBC World’s reach at 9.8 per cent, dramatically closing the gap on CNN’s 12 per cent, an index of 82 per cent.
In terms of audience profile, BBC World’s daily audience is even greater among those flying first or the affluent business class (13 per cent), among frequent flyers (6+ business trips 14 per cent), high earners ($100k+ API 15 per cent), senior government officials (16 per cent), and senior executives in large firms (18 per cent).
The survey results are particularly encouraging coming at a time when the channel has put a renewed focus on live news content and launched its biggest ever brand campaign Putting News First.
BBC World’s daily audience surpasses that for any other channel surveyed amongst residents of Central Europe, the Indian Sub-Continent, Australasia/ Pacific, Africa, Canada, Hong Kong, the UK and Ireland, Sweden, and many other countries, including the 100 respondents from Iraq.
The media release also adds that in terms of media consumption, news remains the most popular genre amongst travellers, with news television viewership consistently higher than news readership across all regions. 17 per cent of travellers interviewed said that they had watched either BBC World or CNN the day before, compared to only 13 per cent who said they had read either Financial Times, International Herald Tribune, USA Today or the Wall Street Journal the day before or Time, Newsweek, Business Week and The Economist in the past week.
Commenting on the research findings BBC World director of airtime sales Jonathan Howlett said, “The close affinity between international travellers – both leisure and business – and global international news channels has never been demonstrated so clearly, with such a wide audience gap between international news and all other programming genres. Also consistency – viewers in all regions trust BBC World more than its leading competitor – a vital quality among those who will be away from home. It is also interesting to note the lack of connection between travel and either documentary or business channels.”
The study measures the viewership of international channels and readership of international publications among international air travelers.
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.
