News Broadcasting
Indo-Pak war in reel life on BBC
LONDON:The Situation Room, a reality drama on BBC based on a hypothetical scenario involving India and Pakistan, has grabbed media attention with its conclusion which shows former White House officials averting a nuclear war in the sub-continent.
The 90- minute documentary is pitched on a story which involves an Indo-Pak war in April 2004 following assassination of the Indian defence minister. It then goes on to show how a desperate Pakistani president informs the White House that he has no choice but to use nuclear weapons. The former White House officials intervene and try to head off a nuclear war on the sub-continent with the US president threatening India with military force unless it agrees to a ceasefire.
The surprising decision by the BBC’s fictional US President, played by former US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia , Karl Inderfurth, was broadcast to British audiences on Wednesday night, The Times of India has reported.
Foreseeing both Indian and Pakistani objections, programme producer Susan O’Keeffe has been quoted as saying that “she believed in the integrity of the programme.”
The programme has an interesting cast of Washington political insiders including President Bush Senior’s former associate national security member Robert Oakley, former CIA head Milton Beardon, former ambassodor to India Tom Pickering, Clinton’s chief of staff John Podesta and Clinton’s Press secretary Joe Lockhart, the report says.
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.
