News Broadcasting
CNBC crowns Honda City as the ‘Car of the year’
MUMBAI: The results are out and the business news channel has awarded Honda City as the car of the year for 2003.
The third CNBC Autocar auto awards, adjudged the Ford Endeavour as the SUV of the Year, while Bajaj Wind was announced as the Bike of the Year.
The awards across 10 categories was presented by Chief Minister Sheila, in the presence of eminent personalities from the Indian auto industry, says a company release.
Maruti Udyog Limited was awarded the Manufacturer of the Year award for its overall performance in 2003. Bharat Forge, MICO and Anand Group were recognized for their exemplary performance in product development and manufacturing of auto components. It is for the first time ever, that the auto ancillary Industry was acknowledged at the CNBC Autocar Auto Awards, says the release.
The first ever ‘Viewer Choice Award’ was awarded to General Motors’ Chevrolet Optra. ‘ The winners at the CNBC Autocar Auto Awards 2003 are:
Award
Winner
The Car Of The Year Award Honda City
Bike Of The Year Bajaj Wind
SUV Of The Year Ford Endeavour
Best Value For Money Car Chevrolet Optra
Most Technologically Advanced Car Mercedes SL 500
Best Design & Styling Mercedes SL 500
Manufacturer Of The Year Maruti udyog Ltd
Most Improved Car Of The Year Tata Safari EXi
Best Driver’s Car Chevrolet Forester
The event boasted of good attendence from industry with the likes of CMD-Apollo Tyres’ Onkar Kanwar, HDFC’s Aditya Puri, Tata Motors executive director Dr Sumantran, Maruti Udyog ltd MD Jagdish Khattar, General Motors MD Aditya Vij, Mahindra & Mahindra’s MD Bharat Forge, Baba Kalyani, CEO Alan Durante, Daimler Chrysler India MD & CEO Hans-Michael Huber making appearance.
The performance of the event included the fusion world music by Taufiq Qureshi, Louis Banks and Vikku Vinayak Ram and Shiamak Davar and his troupe’s vibrant contemporary modern dance routine.
Speaking on the occasion, CNBC-TV18, CEO, Haresh Chawla, “Across the world, the auto industry is the yardstick to gauge the economy of a country. These are indeed exciting times for the Indian auto industry and the car buyer. The discerning Indian consumer today views a vehicle more than just a functional product, while making a purchase decision, style, comfort and technology are on his priority list. CNBC and Autocar continue to keep a pulse on the changing needs of the consumer. Through the CNBC Autocar Auto Awards we celebrate the resilient spirit of India’s Auto Industry.”
The auto magazine Auto Car India provided the technical support for road testing and evaluating the technical performance of the nominees, using sophisticated evaluation procedures and testing equipment, says the release.
The judges then rated the nominees on the basis of the performance and the scores were audited and evaluated by Ernst & Young. According to the release, stringent guidelines and eligibility criteria were applied to ensure that the process is benchmarked against international standards.
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.
