News Broadcasting
‘Kumars at No. 42’ in BBC’s 2003 TV moments nominees list
MUMBAI: The sitcom The Kumars at Number 42 is one of the shows that has been nominated for BBC One’s annual show that looks at the best moments in British television. In India The Kumars at Number 42 airs on Star World.
The show puts a nice twist to the chat show genre. In it Sanjeev Bhaskar plays talk show host Sanjeev Kumar. He hosts his show in his family’s backyard and has aspirations of being the next David Frost. In the nominated moment the guest is Channel 4 anchor Johnny Vaughn. He describes the time when Harvey his bulldog drove his car. It has been nominated in the Best Entertainment Moment section.
2003 TV Moments will bring together a host of celebrities in a celebration of the dramatic, poignant, tense and funniest moments from a year of telly. In the Best Reality Moment category ITV’s Pop Idol gets a mention. In the side spltting segment a young man who is just finishing his PHD sings Great Balls of Fire. Unfortunately he doesn’t seem to be clever enough to realise he has no chance of going through.
Competing for the Best Sporting Moment are BBC’s Boat Race, London Marathon and ITV’s coverage of the final of The Rugby World Cup.
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.
