News Broadcasting
Bidding for BBC’s HR services gathers momentum
MUMBAI: The BBC has launched the next stage of the procurement process for parts of its HR services in the UK. The process formally began in July 2005 with the publication of a notice in the Official Journal of the European Union. It has attracted widespread interest from a broad range of service providers.
Eight organisations are being taken through to the next round, all of whom have demonstrated a strong desire and credibility as potential suppliers for parts of the BBC’s HR services. The bidders are Accenture, Capita, Convergys, Excellerate HRO, Hewitt, IBM, Northgate and Xchanging.
BBC People director Stephen Dando said, “I am delighted with the really positive response we have received from the market to our advert for the partial outsourcing of services within BBC People. During the next phase of the process there will be a rigorous evaluation of not only the expertise and operations of these bidders, but their culture and fit with the BBC – this is a crucial part of our evaluation.”
The areas which the BBC is looking for a supplier or suppliers to undertake are recruitment, remuneration, development, HR administration services, relocation, occupational health services, and disability access services.
The preference is to award one contract for all of the services, however the BBC will award more than one contract where it is deemed commercially advantageous to do so, or where this is necessary to achieve the required service standards. The BBC states that it has conducted a rigorous evaluation process in order to compile a long list of interested parties. Final negotiations are expected to take place at the end of this year and the contract with the successful supplier is due to become operational from spring 2006.
The procurement process follows an internal review which proposed that a number of services should be outsourced. The review team identified this as one of the measures to help put extra resources into programmes as part of the BBC’s radical plans to transform the organisation into a simpler and more creative digital broadcaster.
The BBC will be in full consultation with the recognised trade unions throughout the procurement process. BBC People was formed in 2001, bringing together for the first time the vast majority of the BBC’s functional HR specialists. The Division supports the whole employment process. It supports around 27,000 BBC staff, some 6,000 casuals and 6,000 freelances based within multiple UK locations and internationally, and deals with the significant ‘churn’ associated with new hires/leavers.
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.
