News Broadcasting
HARDtalk celebrates tenth anniversary
MUMBAI: BBC World’s flagship current affairs interview programme HARDtalk , will celebrate its tenth anniversary this week and will air repeat telecasts of interviews of some people who have made history.
Known for its interviews with politicians and newsmakers from around the world, the special anniversary episodes will put the spotlight on Dr Naji Sabri and Sir Jeremy Greenstock on 16 April, Meles Zenawi on 17 April and Romeo Dallaire on 18 April.
Presenter Stephen Sackur says, “I’ve met many world leaders who have enormous respect for HARDtalk, and I can think of no bigger programme with which to be involved. I’ve had pretty much the best job in the BBC as a foreign correspondent, and the only way of topping that was through HARDtalk, putting tough questions to the people who shape our world.”
Stephen took over from former presenter Tim Sebastian in January 2005. Tim presented HARDtalk since it began in March 1997 and recorded more than 1500 editions.
Tim adds, “It was an enormous privilege to be in a position to ask leading questions and to travel the world trying to get answers. We left some bruised political egos in our wake, and some important feathers ruffled.”
HARDtalk is broadcast on BBC World daily from Monday to Thursday, with five showings per day in Europe, the Americas and Africa and three in Asia, Australasia and the Middle East. The programme has gained an international reputation for asking tough questions of global leaders, political figures, the military, campaigners and representatives of the world’s leading organisations. HARDtalk is edited by Carey Clark.
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.
