News Broadcasting
Orange strikes mobile deal with BBC Worldwide
MUMBAI: Some of Britain’s shows including The Office, Little Britain, Goodness Gracious Me and Doctor Who will now be available to watch on mobile phones following a deal between Orange and BBC Worldwide.
Orange is the first mobile operator to offer its customers wireless access to a range of popular BBC television programmes on their phone. From this month, Orange World users will be able to watch video clips of classic scenes and use famous catchphrases from the shows as ringtones. Images of characters from the shows can also be used as wallpapers for phones.
Orange director of multimedia operations Mark Hird said, “Delivering great broadcast content on mobiles is central to our plans for 2006 and beyond, and there’s nobody bigger and better than BBC Worldwide as a partner to get our customers excited. Orange customers will now be able to access some of their favourite programmes from the BBC on their mobile. Beyond watching scenes from the shows, they’ll also be able to use classic catchphrases as ringtones.”
BBC Worldwide director of business development Jason Blain said, “For the first time, we’re giving mobile customers the chance to watch their favourite shows on their phone. More and more, BBC Worldwide is looking to move toward non-traditional broadcasting vehicles, and this partnership with Orange is a testimony to that.”
The range of BBC Worldwide content available will include video clips, ringtones and still images from the earlier mentioned shows.
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.
