News Broadcasting
BBC’s digi channels going from strength to strength in UK
MUMBAI: As the BBC launches its latest digital marketing campaign targeted at analogue viewers yet to go digital it has announced that its six digital channels are performing strongly.
A company release informs that since the start of its digital campaign in October 2002 the digital market has grown by 32 per cent. Millions of more people are now able to watch the BBC’s digital channels on cable, satellite and with Freeview.
BBC Three’s share since launching in February 2003 has increased by 27 per cent for all viewers and by 38 per cent for the target audience (25-34) compared with last year.
The BBC also claims that since the fourth quarter of last year BBC Four has been out-performing all comparable specialist multichannels in terms of weekly reach. It leads the channel share along with Discovery.
Its share for the year to date is at 0.44 per cent. This represents an increase of 69 per cent on the same period last year. Between November 2003 and February 2004 BBC Four was able to reach more than one in five digital viewers each month. This amounts to over six million people.
As far the kids genre is concerned last month The CBBC Channel was second place among the non-preschool channels, with an average share of 3.8 per cent. In addition the release claims that CBeebies remains the market leader of children’s TV with share in March 2004 holding steady at 7.3 per cent. This is more than double the second ranking preschool channel. BBC News 24 has seen an increase in reach of 16 per cent from 2002 to 2003 bringing total reach up to 4.2 million.
The last few months of 2003 saw one million set top box and integrated digital television sets sold for Freeview. The BBC claims that in December alone half a million boxes were sold. This ensured that digital terrestrial television became the second largest digital platform behind satellite.
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.
