News Broadcasting
NDTV’s longest-running health campaign Banega Swasth India launches AI chatbot and loyalty cards for children
NEW DELHI: Banega Swasth India is back for a 12th season, and this time it means business. NDTV and Dettol’s flagship health campaign will launch an AI-powered hygiene chatbot, a gamified loyalty card programme for children, and an accessibility curriculum for disabled youngsters when it takes to the airwaves on 2 October 2025.
The telethon, fronted by actor Ayushmann Khurrana, will rally Indians around the theme “I Am the Change” and the call to action Mere Dus Gaz Se Viksit Bharat Tak (From My Ten Yards to a Developed India). The ambition is bold: transform every citizen into an agent of health change.
The star attraction is Hygieia, India’s first hygiene chatbot, which will dispense health guidance in 22 Indian languages and four global ones. It sits alongside the Swasth Bharat Champ Hygiene Loyalty Card Programme—India’s first non-financial hygiene loyalty scheme for children, designed to build lifelong healthy habits through gamification and rewards.
Breaking new ground on inclusion, Dettol will unveil what it claims is the world’s first digital accessibility curriculum for children who are blind, deaf, mute or autistic. Awards will honour maternal and child health tech accelerators focused on the critical first 1,000 days of life.
President Droupadi Murmu will grace the event, joined by Uttar Pradesh governor Anandi Ben and Odisha chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai, Malaika Arora, Nimrat Kaur and Jasmine Sandlas will perform.
NDTV chief executive & editor in chief Rahul Kanwal said the campaign has evolved into a movement that inspires citizens to contribute to the nation’s health journey. “With innovations like Hygieia and inclusive programmes for every child, the campaign demonstrates that purposeful individual action can transform communities—and collectively, guide India towards a Viksit Bharat by 2047.”
Reckitt executive vice-president for south Asia Gaurav Jain said the partnership was driving meaningful change in millions of lives. “By leveraging innovative solutions, we’re empowering individuals and communities to take charge of their health and hygiene. Our commitment to health equity and inclusivity is reflected in our Dettol Accessibility Curriculum, which ensures that no child is left behind.”
The campaign has reached over 26 million children and enabled more than 38 billion handwashing occasions. Its architects believe individual responsibility and collective resolve will propel India’s health transformation. Change, they insist, begins with me.
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.
