News Broadcasting
Discovery to air ‘Capturing Saddam’
MUMBAI: It was an unexpected finale to a long drama and Discovery Channel is set to make it a special.
Capturing Saddam , a programme portraying the capture Saddam Hussein will premiere on Thursday, 15 January 2004 at 9:00 pm. Hussein, branded as a dictator of the modern era was caught after months of frustrating search operations that cost the United States Army several human lives and millions of dollars.
Feared as a vicious oppressor, who killed tens of thousands of people, Saddam Hussein was caught in a rather peaceful manner in a ‘spider hole’ on a deserted farm, says a company release.
The infotainment channel will be airing the finale of an eight-month long manhunt, which ended on the night of 13 December 2003 after one of the Hussein’s family members volunteered information about his location. The Iraqi military leader was caught hiding in a six to eight foot hole that was camouflaged with bricks and dirt.
One Alliance’s infotainment channel will be airing the operation titled ‘Operation Red Dawn’, conducted by 600 soldiers of the US Army’s 4th Infantry Division and the events that unfolded thereafter.
According to Discovery Communications India director – marketing, Aditya P Tripathi, “The capture of Saddam Hussein has been one of the most closely followed events in recent times. With Capturing Saddam, Discovery Channel brings to viewers contemporary history in the making. The programme gives viewers a blow by blow account of how the most feared dictator in the world was captured.”
The United States brought all its financial resources into play, purchasing information from anybody who was close to Saddam. It took U.S. intelligence several months and millions of dollars to evaluate and act upon the ‘actionable intelligence’.
Saddam’s day in court will be a defining moment for Iraq and for global human rights. Saddam will be tried for the mass-murder of Iraqi Kurds in the late 1980s- a crime known as the Anfal genocide, informs release.
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.
