News Broadcasting
BBC World tops among business channels in Europe: Survey
MUMBAI: BBC World asserts that more of Europe’s senior business people watch it each week than the number that tune in to the two business news channels – Bloomberg and CNBC – combined.
Quoting data contained in the EBRS 2004 BBC World study, the news channel claims it is watched each week by 9.5 per cent of Europe’s senior business executives. The combined viewership of Bloomberg and CNBC, according to the study, is just 8 per cent.
As per the survey’s findings, more CEOs in Europe’s largest companies who expressed an opinion rate BBC World as “important business viewing” than many of its competitors. The channel’s 21 per cent figure is higher than Bloomberg (19 per cent), Euronews (18 per cent), Sky News (16 per cent) or CNBC (9 per cent).
The study, which covered television viewership for the first time, provides a detailed profile of the media consumption of business leaders and key decision-makers around Europe. Thirty-two per cent of Europe’s business elite watch BBC channels or are using BBC websites each week, far higher than CNN or ARD (both 22 per cent) or RTL (21 per cent), as per the study.
EBRS was conducted by Ipsos-RSL among senior business people in 17 European countries. The universe of 431,216 includes industrial and commercial establishments.
Television scores over print: EBRS 2004 also confirms that pan-European television is more effective than weekly pan-European print titles at reaching business people. Forty-one per cent of those surveyed watch pan-European television, compared to just 16 per cent for the printed publications. Both mediums are consumed equally, each reaching 17 per cent of those questioned, each day.
When one takes income into consideration BBC World reaches the creamy layer. The beeb reaches more business people with personal incomes of Euro 225,000 or higher, and more directors and international financial decision-makers than CNBC, Bloomberg or Euronews. In terms of audience profile, BBC World attracts a more upscale audience than the survey universe:
A sister survey to EBRS, known as CEBRS goes into detail about viewing habits among the business elite in Central Europe. This shows that the gap between BBC World and its business news competitors is even greater than in Western
Europe. Of the people surveyed, 20.2 per cent watched the channel each week, compared to CNBC (5.1 per cent) and Bloomberg (2.7 per cent).
The reach of international television dwarfs international print in Central Europe. Each day, international TV is watched by 26 per cent of all business people, compared to the nine per cent who read any international newspaper.
BBC World airtime sales director Jonathan Howlett, added, “These figures prove that Europe’s top business people have a broader agenda than specialist financial news, or locally oriented news channels. They are turning to BBC World for our analysis of global events and our award-winning business programming and know they can trust us to cover the stories that are integral to their lives.”
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.
