News Broadcasting
BBC World’s ‘The World Challenge’ shortlists India’s Irula Venom Centre as a finalist
MUMBAI: The World Challenge – a global competition in partnership with BBC World, Shell and Newsweek which seeks to highlight and reward outstanding examples of community enterprise and innovation – has announced that the Irula Venom Centre has been shortlisted as one of 12 finalists.
Earlier this year, BBC World received a total of 457 entries with the highest numbers coming from India with a total of 71 nominations. Forty five entries came from the United States, 30 from Nigeria , 18 from South Africa and 17 from Pakistan.
A panel of judges, including representatives from the World Bank, TVE and Triodos Bank, chose 12 unique and interesting entries to progress to the final stage. The panel recognised the innovative way in which the Irula Venom Centre (India) has been able to create employment for local tribal people, while protecting the local community from the dangers of venomous snakes.
The Irula community, not long ago impoverished, is now being employed to catch snakes and carefully extract their venom, before releasing them back into the wild. This venom is used to create anti-venom serum for the treatment of snakebites, which, in turn, protects the local community from harm. The project has been so successful that the Irula Venom Centre now supplies up to 80 per cent of the venom for India’s medical needs.
A 15-minute film is being produced on each of the finalists, and these will be aired as six special programmes about The World Challenge to be broadcast globally on BBC World for six weeks from Saturday 20 August (every Saturday at 2 pm and 7 pm). Each project will also be featured extensively in Newsweek.
Viewers can vote for their favourite project through the website of The World Challenge, at www.theworldchallenge.co.uk. The winning project will be announced in November, and will receive from Shell a grant of US$20,000.
The other shortlisted projects are: Basket Weaving (Kenya), Bio Power (Malta), Coconuts For Erosion Control (Philippines), Elephant Pepper (Zambia), Men On The Side Of The Road (South Africa), Nguna-Pele Rechargeable Battery (Vanuatu), Real Vision, Real IPM (Kenya), Resin Roof Tiles (Ukraine), Riet Vell Organic Farming (Spain), ROMP (United Kingdom), Weddings That Give Back (United States).
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.
