News Broadcasting
Jeremy Bowen as BBC World Middle East editor
MUMBAI: Jeremy Bowen has been appointed to the newly-created post of BBC Middle East Editor. He will take up his appointment after he leaves his current assignment in Rome.
The new role is designed to enhance BBC’s audience’s understanding of the Middle East; and to provide extra commentary, focus and analysis to an increasingly complex area of the world. The editor will serve all of the BBC’s news outlets, including radio, television, BBC News Online, and BBC World.
In order to provide a broader perspective on wider Middle East issues, Bowen will be based in the World Affairs Unit in London, but will travel extensively throughout the region. Bowen brings to his new post considerable experience of the region, having spent five years in Jerusalem as the BBC’s Middle East correspondent from 1995 to 2000.
Last year he was part of the BBC team that won the Sony Gold award for News Story of the Year, on Saddam Hussein’s capture. He has also made two documentaries on Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian Authority. In 1996 he won an RTS award for his coverage of the assassination of the Israeli Prime Minister Rabin.
Most recently he presented BBC One’s Jeremy Bowen on the Front Line, which explored the lives and motivations of war journalists. This came from his rich experience as a seasoned war correspondent, reporting from more than 70 countries, and covering conflicts in the Gulf, El Salvador, Lebanon, the West Bank, Afghanistan, Croatia, Bosnia, Chechnya, Somalia and Rwanda, Iraq, Algeria and Kosovo.
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.
