News Broadcasting
Bedi, old-time Murdoch hand, departs News Corp
MUMBAI: News Corp has announced that Bedi A. Singh will be departing as the chief financial officer effective 1 March. Susan Panuccio, currently the chief financial officer of News Corp Australia, will become the new CFO.
Following his departure, Singh intends to pursue new opportunities; however he has agreed to serve as a senior advisor to News Corp on its digital property interests in India, reporting to Robert Thomson, Chief Executive, and will also join the advisory board of Move, Inc., which operates realtor.com®.
During Singh’s time at News Corp, the company’s significant acquisitions included Move, Inc., operator of realtor.com®; Harlequin Enterprises; Wireless Group, operator of talkSPORT; and tech-startups Storyful, Unruly and Checkout 51. News Corp also made strategic investments in India, including the acquisition of VCCircle and BigDecisions.com and an investment in PropTiger.com, which recently came together with Housing.com to become the largest digital real estate company in India.
“I asked Bedi to come back in 2012 to help get the new News Corp up and running, and he’s done a great job doing just that,” said executive chairman Rupert Murdoch. “Through his astute financial management of key acquisitions and divestitures, and with the prudent institution of cost controls across the businesses, Bedi has helped News Corp weather the challenges of this era better than its peers, and put it on firm footing for long-term growth and profitability.”
“I am also pleased to announce Susan Panuccio as our new CFO. Her superb work at News Corp Australia makes her the ideal successor to Bedi, and we look forward to her joining us at headquarters as we take on new opportunities in the years ahead,” said Murdoch.
Singh rejoined News Corporation in 2012 and was named CFO as part of the new leadership team of News Corp in June, 2013. His previous work with News Corporation included senior finance roles at News International (now News UK) and 20th Century Fox (now 21st Century Fox). He also served as President, Finance and Administration & CFO for MGM Studios and as CFO at Gemstar-TV Guide, Novartis Pharmaceuticals and Sony Pictures Entertainment.
“We said at our rebirth in 2013, when Bedi was recruited back into the News Corp fold, that we would be relentlessly global and digital in our focus, and Bedi has certainly helped us achieve that goal,” said Thomson. “The diversity of our business, particularly with the significant expansion into digital real estate, aggressive transition to digital across our mastheads and strategic tech acquisitions, have made us a stronger company today. That success could not have been achieved without Bedi’s financial stewardship.”
“I have had the professional pleasure of working closely with Susan Panuccio, and she’s the right person to drive the next important phase of growth at News Corp,” said Thomson. “Susan is rigorous in her work and strategic in her thinking.”
“From the outset nearly four years ago, all of us at News Corp have had the mindset of a start-up, moving quickly to seize the moment and expand both digitally and globally. That has made my time here both exciting and fulfilling,” said Singh. “Helping get the new News Corp off the ground and well-positioned for future growth is something I am immensely proud of, and I’m grateful to Rupert and Robert for the opportunity to work with them and everyone at News Corp to set the company on such a strong strategic course.”
Panuccio has been the CFO for News Corp Australia since September, 2013. She previously served at News International in several positions, including CFO. She began her career as a Senior Accountant at KPMG Australia.
“I am looking forward to the next exciting challenge in my career at News Corp, having worked for the company in both the UK and Australia. I am delighted to have been given this opportunity to work with our talented executive teams across the businesses,” said Panuccio.
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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.
