News Broadcasting
BBC’s Dyke to chair Cultural Diversity Network
LONDON: The BBC’s director general Greg Dyke will take over the chairmanship of the Cultural Diversity Network (CDN) from Channel 4 for one year from December.
An official release informs that the CDN began in 2000 when all the major British television broadcasters joined forces to change the face of television. They work towards fair representation of Britain’s ethnic population on screen and behind the camera.
Dyke had the following remarks to make – “Broadcasters are working hard to make the industry more diverse and ensure its relevance to today’s audiences. I hope by being Chair of the CDN the BBC can make a real contribution to this. For example, we have just completed major research into what ethnic minority audiences want to see on screen, and how we can better portray different people’s lives. This is just one of the things that will help us chair the CDN in this next key phase.”
The outgoing Chair of CDN and Channel 4 CEO Mark Thompson added, “There is real commitment to cultural diversity at the most senior level of all the companies in the CDN. At Channel 4 we have recently for the first time funded training schemes to encourage ethnic minorities into the industry in partnership with our key suppliers, and have funded three ethnic minority trainee deputy commissioning editors. Changes do not happen overnight, but all the broadcasters have kept diversity at the top of their agenda and as a body we are moving in the right direction.”
CDN’s basic objecftives are:
– Set targets for ethnic minority employment, including senior executive levels
– Establish an online database of ethnic minority talent – Modernising the casting and portrayal of ethnic minorities in mainstream programming
– Share non-commercially sensitive research on cultural diversity
– Obtain a comprehensive picture of ethnic minority employment in UK broadcasting
– Establish industry standards for the collection of ethnic monitoring data
– Sensitise the broadcasters so that they call for diversity in content and employment
– Raise the profile of multicultural issues through a series of events
Carlton’s Clive Jones was the brains behind the CDN. In 1995 Carlton commissioned research showed that it was loosing large chunks of its Black and Asian audiences to cable and satellite channels. ITC and BSC research confirmed these findings and added that ethic minorities found terrestrial TV to be increasingly irrelevant 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.
