News Broadcasting
Indian Soldier NDTV Indian of the Year, Pachauri Global Indian 2007
NEW DELHI: The NDTV Indian of the Year 2007, cutting across all categories, went to the Indian Soldier, with Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh handing over the trophy to the Chief of Army Staff General Deepak Kapoor, looked on by one of the oldest surviving Param Vir Chakra awardee and also the widow of an Indian soldier.
A visibly moved Singh said that the Indian soldier embodies all the core values that are enshrined in the constitution of the country.
Singh, who himself got the special award for the politician category, which was given away by NDTV chief Dr Prannoy Roy, said he was an accidental politician who did not often sleep well because the responsibility of doing anything that would affect the lives of a billion-plus Indians was indeed a heavy one.
R K Pachauri, who heads the global panel on climate change, won the Global Indian of the Year, beating the likes of Indra Nooyi of PepsiCo and K P Singh of DLF.
The Indian of the Year for music went to, predictably, A R Rehman, who was unable to attend the ceremony but sent a pre-recorded acceptance speech, while Shahrukh Khan won the a special award and his Tamil counterpart Rajnikanth won the Best Entertainer of the Year.
The best business person of the year was given away to Mukesh Ambani by Finance Minister P Chidambaram who, asked what he was doing by way of the coming budget, quipped, “Do away with all taxes,” and after a short pause, added, “appropriate all incomes!”
Ambani, on his acceptance, said that the PM must be congratulated for his endeavour of taking to economy to benefit the rural community with his outlook of “inclusive growth.”
Former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam was honoured with the Indian Leader of the Year award who most inspired the country in 2007. Kalam, asked by Barkha Dutt what he would do if he were to revisit the presidency, said, “I would electrify the Rashtrapati Bhavan (President’s House) with solar power.”
Incidentally, the Indian Soldier also won the Best Unsung Hero of the Year.
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.
