News Broadcasting
CNN announces finalists for ‘CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute’
MUMBAI: US news broadcaster CNN has announced the names of 18 finalists for CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute. This marks the culmination of a five-month audience nomination process through which ordinary people will be recognised for accomplishing extraordinary things.
Hosted by CNN’s Anderson Cooper and Christiane Amanpour, “CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute will air live globally on CNN/US, CNN International and CNN en Espanol on 6 December.
In its first year of the CNN Heroes initiative, CNN received more than 7,000 nominations from viewers in 80 countries, nominating people from more than 90 countries.
Honorees will be announced at the gala at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, which will include performances from Grammy Award winners Mary J. Blige and Sheryl Crow and a duet by Grammy Award winner Norah Jones and acclaimed performer-producer Wyclef Jean. Presenters will include Tyra Banks, Glenn Close, Harry Connick, Jr., Rosario Dawson, LL Cool J, Kyra Sedgwick and Jimmy Smits.
CNN Worldwide president Jim Walton says, “We are honoured to shine the spotlight on some of the world’s lesser known heroes with the help of an esteemed slate of performers and presenters. While other awards programmes venerate those who are already celebrated, we are recognising the unheralded, the ones who accomplish great things without the benefit of recognition.”
From May 1 through September, CNN Worldwide has featured everyday heroes across its television networks, digital services and at www.CNN.com/Heroes, encouraging viewers to nominate local heroes they deem deserving of recognition as a CNN Hero. The finalists in each of the six categories include:
* Medical Marvel – American Peter Kithene of Seattle, who founded a clinic in his native Kenya that has provided services to more than 18,000 patients. Las Vegas’ Ann McGee of Las Vegas, who started a transportation program to provide free medical flights for families with gravely ill children. India’s S.
Ramakrishnan is a quadriplegic man who runs one of India’s largest centers for the disabled, serving people from 330 surrounding villages.
* Young Wonder – Canadian Kayla Cornale developed a musical system to improve communications with autistic people. Dallas Jessup produced a video and an online programme designed to teach young women and girls how to escape an attacker. Josh Miller has established a student-run nonprofit group dedicated to motivating high school students of all backgrounds to succeed in school and life.
Fighting For Justice – Pablo Fajardo seeks to force one of the world’s largest oil corporations to pay more than $6 billion to clean up toxic waste in the Amazon rain forest. Rangina Hamidi founded a company that enables women in her native Afghanistan to make money from their intricate embroidery skills. Lynwood Hughes started a nonprofit group to help US veterans secure their disability benefits.
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.
