News Broadcasting
Iranian authorities block BBC Persian.com
MUMBAI: Access to BBC Persian.com, the BBC’s international news website, is being blocked within Iran at the request of the authorities.
The BBC says that initial assessments of the level of traffic to the site within Iran indicate that they have dropped substantially on normal traffic levels over the last three days since reports of the country-wide blocking began.
The BBC’s international online news services in the English language remain unaffected. BBC World Service radio broadcasts in both Persian and English are being received by audiences in Iran as normal.
BBC World Service director Nigel Chapman said: “BBC Persian.com is a major source of news for Iranians, and has the biggest impact of any online site or newspaper in Persian. We are very concerned at this action and regret that it deprives a great number of ordinary Iranians of a trusted source of impartial and editorially independent news and information. We shall be making representations to the Iranian authorities with a view to reinstating access to our service for all Iranians.”
“The appetite among Iranians to know more about what’s going on, both in Iran and abroad, has never been greater. Online is an important part of life in modern Iran; there is a hugely active and engaged online community. The country is a world leader in terms of the proportion of the population engaged in ‘blogging’. Many people in Iran have contacted us to tell us they believe the quality of information and debate in the country will be much poorer following this action,” said Chapman.
BBC Persian.com receives around 30 million page impressions per month. It is estimated that Iran has seven million internet users and BBC Persian.com attracts around one third of all users in the country.
The BBC has been broadcasting radio programmes in the Persian language to Iran for more than 65 years. Its Persian internet site started in 2001.
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.
