News Broadcasting
Britian’s sporting stars contribute to BBC One’s The Great Big Bid
MUMBAI: Some of Britain’s sporting celebrities rubbed shoulders with the wealthiest individuals in a night where they lead the way in raising nearly half a million pounds for BBC Children in Need at The Great Big Bid charity gala auction.Sporting greats like David Beckham, champion rally driver Colin McRae,rising star of the Pro-Am race scene and model, Jodie Kidd all contributed majorly ,to the event which kicks off a week of fund-raising on BBC One in The Great Big Bid.
Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff’s, Ashes-wining bat – custom made for him and one of the few to survive the England hero’s smashing performance during the Test series – sold for £22,000 to millionaire UK businessman, Nick Robinson, in a heated battle with Australian paparazzi boss, Darryn Lyons.It was dramatic as Lyons threatened to turn the bat to ashes on Australian soil. The bat, signed by Freddie, was only saved from going up in flames when Robinson made the winning bid as the hammer was about to fall.
Beckham once again showed his generosity towards children by offering four places at the opening of his new football academy. The David Beckham Academy is due to open next month and the four lucky children will not only meet their hero ,but, be presented with an exclusive new kit and be the first to try out the facilities.
The lot was snapped up for £15,000 by Peter Jones from BBC TWO’s Dragon’s Den who immediately, on Beckham’s recommendation, presented it back to BBC Children in Need to select the four children from one of the many projects they fund. Jones also walked away with one of the evenings most expensive lots when he bid £55,000 for a passenger ride with World Rally Champion driver, Colin McRae.
Supermodel Jodie Kidd, who has recently made a name a for herself as a skilled amateur racing driver, offered the experience of a lifetime trip which will see the winning bidder, computer magnate, Paul Barry Walsh, who paid £15,000, take a luxury private jet to Bologna for a VIP visit to the Bologna Motor Show where he will see Jodie compete in the Maserati Trofeo Pro-Am race.
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.
