News Broadcasting
Kuala Lumpur to host 2005 CNBC Business Leader awards
MUMBAI: CNBC Asia Pacific will be staging its 4th Asia Business Leader Awards (ABLA) 2005 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The announcement followed a meeting between Malaysia’s Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and CNBC Asia Pacific president & CEO Alexander Brown, at Malaysia’s Federal Government Administrative capital of Putrajaya on Tuesday, a company release says.
The Asia Business Leader Awards aims to recognise Asia’s outstanding CEOs who have demonstrated superior leadership skills in managing highly successful businesses in their respective countries or in Asia. ABLA has a three-phase judging process, based on a combination of criteria including financial performance, leadership, creativity and innovation, and social responsibility. The judges comprise journalists, retired business leaders/CEOs or professionals with Asia experience, Asian corporate strategists, academics and international management thinkers. They evaluate candidates on their ability to create success in creating short-term advantage, long-term value, enhancing their competitive edge, and the demonstration of leadership in the business community.
Each event usually takes place over two days, and incorporates an awards presentation ceremony and gala dinner presided by high-level guests-of-honour, business leaders’ summit and a CEOs’ golf challenge.
“Malaysia’s economy is one of the most vibrant in Southeast Asia… Hosting the next ABLA in Malaysia represents an extension of CNBC Asia’s commitment to the business community residing there,” Brown is quoted in the release as saying.
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.
