News Broadcasting
BBC World rolls out ‘The World Challenge’ competition
MUMBAI: BBC World in association with Shell and Newsweek have come together to search for, highlight and reward individuals or groups that have used enterprise and innovation to the benefit of local communities through The World Challenge.
The World Challenge is a competition that is being launched following the success of the Hands On Strand within BBC World’s award-winning environmental programme, Earth Report. This highlighted noteworthy projects undertaken by firms, communities and enterprising individuals around the globe.
A panel of judges – including representatives from BBC World, Shell and Newsweek – will shortlist the 12 entries that they feel are the best examples of community-based business, development or environmental projects.
BBC World will then produce 15-minute programmes on each nominee, examining how the initiative began, its inspiration and why it is socially and environmentally successful. These six films will be broadcast on BBC World in August and September, and the channel’s viewers will be invited to vote online for the most commendable and inspirational project.
Newsweek will replicate this with a print campaign that includes a series of advertorials, aimed at driving its readers to the online voting site. The campaign will run throughout Europe, Asia and Latin America. Once voting has closed, the winner of The World Challenge will be announced at a special ceremony in November and will receive a $20,000 grant from Shell to benefit their project.
BBC World director airtime sales Jonathan Howlett says, “We know that BBC World’s influential, upscale business-focused viewers take a great interest in global development issues. The World Challenge offers an opportunity to promote outstanding initiatives in this field to an intelligent, knowledgeable audience.
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.
