News Broadcasting
Rwandan student wins BBC Afrique radio journalism competition
MUMBAI: A Rwandan student has won the BBC’s talent competition for best radio report in French. Nicolas Gatambi has been awarded the Grand Prix – a laptop computer – in a radio journalism competition with BBC Afrique, the BBC’s French for Africa service.
More than a hundred budding radio journalists participated in the competition, which invited them to produce a radio package on a subject of their choice. Competitors explored themes such as sexual harassment in universities, the plight of bereaved women, religion and other issues.
Gatambi’s package was about a man who lost both legs in a mine explosion, and his efforts to regain dignity and a family. He said, “It’s a dream come true. I am now a small celebrity in my town and amongst my fellow students.” BBC Afrique senior producer Michel Proust said, “We were impressed by the high quality and the originality of subjects chosen by the participants. The jury members said that they were struck by the sincerity and audacity of some of the reports. The winning entries were quite outstanding, and we were proud to broadcast these reports as part of the BBC Afrique output.”
The second prize went to Ghislaine Nentobo from Mbandaka, Democratic Republic of Congo, for her report on an original form of transport in her town, the “Nzela-Moto”. The third prize went to Cecilia Lima de Pina, a student from Luxembourg, for a report on a family of immigrants from Cape Verde. BBC Afrique is part of BBC World Service and is available on radio and online on bbcfrench.com. BBC World Service broadcasts programmes around the world in 43 languages and claims to have a global audience of 149 million listeners.
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.
