News Broadcasting
BBC World partners for Entrepreneurs in Dubai event
MUMBAI: The International Entrepreneurship Forum and Exhibition (IEFE) has stated that news channel BBC World will be an official media partner for its Entrepreneurs in Dubai conference. The event will be held at the Dubai International Convention Centre this May.
Stelios Haji Ioannou will present ‘Serial Entrepreneurship and Brand Extension – a job or an addiction?’ at the International Entrepreneurship Forum and Exhibition (IEFE). The event, will see influential self-made tycoons and business magnates address a regional audience of 1,000. The event will be advertised on BBC World which is seen in 258 million homes and more than one million hotel rooms globally. IIR Exhibitions is one of the IEFE organisers. The company’s GM Jennifer Sutherland said, “The advertising campaign for Entrepreneurs in Dubai will be seen by BBC World’s enormous global audience of upmarket decision-makers and opinion-formers.
The speaker line-up includes the founder of The Body Shop Dame Anita Roddick, Stelios Haji-Iaonnou, who founded the no-frills airline Easy Jet; Dr. Ruben Singh, who is the founder of alldayPA and British Ambassador for Entrepreneurship and Robert Brozin who is Nando’s Chickenland founder and CEO. Meanwhile Donald Trump, will address the forum via videolink. BBC World regional manager airtime sales operation in the Middle East and Pakistan Hani Soubra says, “BBC World has a strong emphasis on business coverage, with comprehensive updates several times each day in World Business Report and the weekly Middle East Business Report programme, which concentrates exclusively on this region. The channel provides the ideal environment for an event such as this to advertise”.
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.
