News Broadcasting
BBC’s interactive initiative seeks to rewrite the Oxford dictionary
MUMBAI: UK public broadcaster The BBC has announced an interactive initiative in the UK Wordhunt. This aims at rewriting the the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). BBC Two is asking viewers to join The Wordhunt Project and help rewrite what it has dubbed as ‘the greatest book in the English language’.
A major series next year will present the results and will be the biggest, boldest attempt yet to ask the nation, “Where do words come from?”. 250 years after Doctor Johnson wrote his celebrated dictionary with the aid of just six helpers, the BBC and the Oxford English Dictionary are joining forces for The Wordhunt Project, and appealing to Britain to help solve some of the most intriguing recent word mysteries in the language.
Wordhunters should log on to bbc.co.uk/wordhunt to see how their evidence could be included in the OED. BBC Two controller Roly Keating said, “We’re launching a nationwide hunt for the origin of words and it’s a fantastic opportunity for viewers to contribute to a historic project. Any valid evidence will not only rewrite the Oxford English Dictionary but will feed into a major series for BBC TWO on the origin of words. The OED and this series promise a fascinating and unique insight into British history.”
The Oxford English Dictionary is appealing to the public for a focussed effort on 50 words. They include back to square one, jaffa (cricketing term), Beeb, to bonk (sexual intercourse), cyberspace, tikka masala and full monty. The OED seeks to find the earliest verifiable usage of every single word in the English language – currently 600,000 and counting – and of every separate meaning of every word.
Quite a task! The 50 words on the appeal list all have a date next to them – corresponding to the earliest evidence the dictionary currently has for that word or phrase. No dictionary is ever finished. Therefore the BBC is also appealing for interested word hunters to find new words that aren’t present in the OED.
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.
