News Broadcasting
Murdoch ready to call it a day: not quite so soon
Any thoughts that Ozzie-American media baron Rupert Murdoch might be ready to ease the pedal on the breakneck pace of life that he leads could well be a tad premature if one goes by the interview, which he gave during the airing of a documentary aired on BBC2 over the weekend.
Speculation that Murdoch might be thinking ahead to the day when he would “hang up his boots” increased after he suggested in a recent interview to London’s “Financial Times” that his two sons, Lachlan and James, could share the future leadership of News Corporation.
In the BBC2 interview, the septuagenarian dismissed rumours that he was to go easy on the pedal and even seemed to suggest there was no way he would hand over the wheel of the News Corp juggernaut to his kids for at least the next 30 years.
During the course of the documentary he said that his heart is perfect, there is no sign of cholesterol in his system. He said that he would live to score his century.
“I don’t like the idea of retirement. Retirement is something that was not on my radar screen and still isn’t,” Murdoch was quoted as saying, adding that his second wife Anna and he split on account of her demands on him to go easy in his professional career.
The Australian documentary shows Murdoch working out and even getting into a boxing session with a sparring partner. Hotel officials in India (wherever he has stayed on his India visits) have revealed to indiantelevision.com how the media baron normally makes a dash for the gym whenever he comes visiting. “For a 70-year-old he is extremely fit,” says an executive in one of the hotels where he has stayed.
Murdoch’s children are among the largest shareholders of the $30 billion asset strong News Corp which controls SkyDigital, News International, Fox Television and 20th Century Fox. During the course of the documentary Murdoch is quoted as saying: “I want them to be happy and be able to leave them great opportunities like my father left me. They don’t have to but all the signs are they want it very much. I just hope they don’t push me out too soon.”
Fat chance of that happening if one goes by his determination to go past 100.
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.
