News Broadcasting
CNN: ‘Mainsail’ arrives in Australia, Thai PM on Talk Asia
This month CNN’s programme Mainsail – dedicated to the world of sailing arrives in Sydney. The programme features the 60th anniversary of one of the world’s most famous yachting events, the Rolex Sydney to Hobart Race.
The programme airs on 16 January at 6 pm with a repeat on 19 January at 7 pm and on 30 January at 6 pm. The show's host Liz George interviews Ray Richmond, the official starter for this year’s Rolex Sydney-Hobart. He took part in the original race back in 1945 and tells CNN how and why the race began and how different it was from this year’s event.
George also looks back at the 1998 race, which was hit by a massive storm resulting in the deaths of six sailors, and tracks down survivors who are still taking part in the sailing event.
Mainsail will also investigate the repercussions for sailors who rely on accurate weather predictions, despite some boat owners losing in the race as the hurricanes tore through the Caribbean last year. Additionally, the programme gets on board for a sail with Nicorette, a brand new 90-foot yacht skippered by Ludde Ingvall, a yachtsmen who participated in the 2000 Sydney-Hobart race.
Meanwhile the channel's talk show Talk Asia will see Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra talks about the damages caused by the Tsunami that struck the country on 26 December 2004. The show airs on 15 January at 9:30am, 7 pm, 10:30 pm, on 16 January at 5 pm, 8:30 pm, and on 17 January at 9 am.
The Thai Prime Minister reveals to the show's host Lorraine Hahn how he first heard about the Tsunami, his reaction and supervision of relief aid to the hardest hit areas of the country. He also unveils to CNN his initial feelings when landing in Phuket and seeing the destruction caused by the killer waves.
I was trying to supervise the collecting of the dead bodies, I even instructed the heavy equipment to come and lift the building because I saw many people laid down underneath it with my own eyes. The smell was quite horrible, but the sadness of the tragic incident is more than the feeling of smell. I felt bad when I saw it. I feel a lot of sympathy for those who have lost their loved ones."
The Prime Minister also shares his thoughts on the quick response from the international community and discusses why Thailand declined foreign aid in cash: "I heard that some countries are even worse, for example Indonesia. So I thought we better help ourselves and let international help others that are harder hit by the Tsunami."
Additionally, he tells CNN that it will take one year for Thailand to recover from this disaster. "I never tolerate for a longer time, so I work hard and push for it. One year is quite long for me already."
When asked about his proposition of locating a warning surveillance center in Thailand, he says, "I think we are ready to be a center and we are ready to offer our services to other countries."
He concludes the interview by discussing the Tsunami's impact on Thailand's economy, the provisions the country has for hundreds of orphans, and the efforts of identifying the bodies with accurate DNA samples while continuing to search for the missing.
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.
