News Broadcasting
BBC World resident director – India Vinod Bakshi quits
MUMBAI: Global English news channel BBC World’s low profile resident director for India, Vinod Bakshi, has departed after being with the company for over five years.
Bakshi’s last working day was 29 April and it is not clear whether BBC World would have a replacement for him or not in India.
Contacted by Indiantelevision.com, an official spokesperson for BBC World in India confirmed the development and said, “Mr. Vinod Bakshi, who has decided to leave the company, has made significant contributions to the development of BBC World, especially at the time of great change in the broadcasting landscape, successfully promoting the channel through his relationships within (Indian) government and business.”
Bakshi, appointed as resident director in February 2000, was based in Delhi. His job profile included representing the channel’s corporate interests in India and also to look at the local responsibility for maintaining good relationships with government.
In tandem, he was also responsible for implementing BBC World’s global policy guidelines here. Asked whether a replacement would be located or the position altogether abolished, BBC World India refused to make any specific comments.
However, it admitted that a selection procedure (if necessary) would entail “regular management practice” where BBC World searches “externally and internally for recruitment for such key positions.”
India is one of those markets in the world where BBC World’s brand equity and market share could be said to be ahead of a major competitor, CNN. In recent times, BBC World has not only started giving importance to local programming, but also tailoring fixed point chart or programming schedules as per Indian prime time, which is an indication of the importance the channel attaches to viewers and advertisers here.
In April, BBC World unveiled in India, through an aggressive marketing campaign, a new global brand campaign, Putting News First, the biggest campaign in the channel’s 10-year history in India.
BBC World, the BBC’s commercially funded international 24-hour news and information channel, is owned and operated by BBC World Ltd, which is a member of the BBC’s commercial group of companies. The television channel is available in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide, and reaches 258 million households (115 million 24-hour homes) and more than one million hotel rooms. BBC World launched in
its present format in 1995 and is funded by advertising and subscription.
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.
