News Broadcasting
PBS gets grant for public affairs channel
MUMBAI: America’s public broadcaster PBS’ president and CEO Pat Mitchell has announced that PBS has received a $200,000 planning grant from the John and James L Knight Foundation.
The funds will support the planning process for a new digital service focussed on public affairs programming.
The project, which has the working title PBS Public Square, will be shaped by an advisory panel of station representatives, producers and thought leaders from the public sector. They will work with PBS senior programming VP Jacoba Atlas. PBS hopes to get the service off the ground in early 2005.
Mitchell was quoted in a company release saying, “This planning grant from Knight Foundation will make it possible for PBS and member stations, with our unique national / local distribution to all Americans, to design an electronic public square. This will be a digital programming service devoted entirely to issues of local, national and global impact. The opportunity to use digital technology to create new ways to inform and engage the public responds directly to our mission and to our commitment as public service media to strengthen and sustain the values of our democracy.”
During the planning phase, PBS will work with a project manager and an advisory panel, which will shortly be announced. Their mandate will be to develop a case study on the need this service will fill and identify the potential audiences that will be served. They will create a programme model for the service as well as a financial model for the service that would include possible revenue sources.
Atlas added, “We envision this service as a way to further enhance the value of award-winning public affairs programming currently on PBS. These include The Newshour With Jim Lehrer, Washington Week, Frontline. This service will also include new programmes and formats designed to deliver timely and compelling television and online content that will engage citizens around the issues of our time.”
PBS already operates two offshoots seen on satellite systems or digital cable. PBS Kids offers children’s programming. PBS You provides adult education programmes.
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.
