News Broadcasting
Ellana Lee takes charge of CNN’s new global productions unit in expanded APAC leadership role
MUMBAI: CNN has handed a major new brief to Ellana Lee, elevating her to group senior vice president, general manager APAC, and global head of productions. The expanded role places her at the helm of a newly created global productions team, which will spearhead all multi-platform sponsored content across CNN’s global network.
The move, effective immediately, builds on Lee’s 25-year tenure at CNN, where she most recently served as SVP, managing editor for Asia Pacific, and global head of features content. She led the launch of award-winning editorial properties like Call to Earth and steered CNN’s features division into a global storytelling powerhouse.
As global head of productions, Lee will now guide the creation and distribution of sponsored content across digital, television and other platforms. The remit also includes building out new roles in the U.S. to expand CNN’s existing features team, which currently operates from hubs in Atlanta, Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong and London.
“Under Ellana’s leadership, our Features team has consistently innovated, delivering award-winning, multi-platform, editorially robust and engaging feature content that has attracted commercial partnerships with some of the world’s most dynamic and successful brands,” said CNN Worldwide managing editor Mike McCarthy. “She will now bring that experience, creativity and skill to bear across the network.”
Lee will remain based in Hong Kong, continuing as CNN’s most senior executive outside the United States. In her ongoing role as APAC head, she will retain oversight of CNN’s editorial strategy across the region, including programming, correspondent deployment and eight editorial operations.
The appointment signals CNN’s intent to integrate editorial innovation with brand-driven storytelling at scale, tapping Lee’s track record in building meaningful global content ecosystems.
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.
