News Broadcasting
Iran, US, Russia get negative ratings in BBC World Service poll
MUMBAI: Concern about Iran’s plans for developing nuclear power appears to have contributed to it being voted as having the ‘most negative’ influence on the world in a poll of 33 countries including India for BBC World Service. The US had the second highest ‘mainly negative’ rating with Russia in third place.
Researchers from GlobeScan and the Programme on International Policy Attitudes (Pipa) questioned 39,435 people between October 2005 and January 2006.
On average across the 33 countries polled, 47 per cent of people believed Iran is having a ‘negative influence’ – with support for this view highest in Germany (84 per cent), the US (81 per cent) and Italy (77 per cent). British critics stood at 72 per cent.
PIPA director Steven Kull said, “It appears that world public opinion does not look kindly on governments engaging in suspicious nuclear activities as in the case of Iran. Or becoming more authoritarian in the case of China and Russia or occupying another country without international approval as with the United States. On the other hand, countries and regions that engage the world primarily through soft forms of power (such as diplomacy) including Japan and Europe tend to get good marks.”
GlobeScan president, Doug Miller said, “In the court of public opinion, Iran is judged a mainly negative player in the world. Russia and the US continue to languish at the lower end of the league table. Europe continues to be seen as a mainly positive player. It will be interesting to see what impact the next year of drama over the Iranian nuclear programme has on these ratings.”
The highest ‘mainly positive’ rating went to Europe (as a whole) followed by Japan, France and Britain. Japan received a ‘positive’ vote from 31 of the countries polled, the dissenting voices were China and South Korea. France was described as having a positive influence by 28 of the counties polled.
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.
