News Broadcasting
CNN International announces key editorial hires in Asia-Pacific
Mumbai: CNN International has announced four new editorial hires at its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Hong Kong, with the appointment of two new directors of coverage and two new senior news editors.
Sarita Harilela has been appointed director of coverage, responsible for news coverage from the Asia-Pacific region, as well as leading the network’s global coverage for key parts of the day. She has been with CNN International for 17 years, most recently as an executive producer based in Hong Kong, responsible for feature shows and programming. Harilela has been involved in all major news stories from the APAC region over the last decade including the pandemic, the Hong Kong protests, Typhoon Haiyan and the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami.
Nicola Careem has also been appointed director of coverage. She joins CNN after 19 years with the BBC covering conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Afghanistan. She was most recently the South Asia bureau chief based in New Delhi overseeing a team of journalists working across digital, television and radio.
Irene Nasser joins the APAC team as a senior news editor. She has spent the last five years with Al Jazeera English in Doha handling breaking news, planning coverage and overseeing teams in the field. Prior to that she worked as a field producer based in Jerusalem working on both news and documentaries.
Alex Stambaugh has accepted a new role as a senior news editor. She has been with CNN for five years, most recently as a senior content producer for CNN’s International Newsource which serves more than 1300 affiliates in the U.S. and around the world. She has also produced stories from the field including the Hong Kong protests, the Trump-Kim summits in Vietnam and Singapore and the Thai cave rescue.
“These key roles reinforce our commitment to the region and further strengthen our newsgathering capabilities,” said CNN Asia Pacific vice president and managing editor Ellana Lee. “These are unprecedented and uncertain times, so bolstering our Asia Pacific coverage for our global audience, across all of CNN’s platforms, is more important than ever.”
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.
