News Broadcasting
TWI to make doc on England’s triumph at 1966 Fifa World Cup
MUMBAI: Television production firm TWI has been commissioned by English broadcaster Five to produce a television documentary about England’s journey towards victory in the 1966 World Cup.
How England Won The World Cup will air on 31 May on Five. The one-hour documentary, which falls within Five’s historical Revealed strand, will bring England’s triumph to life, in a way that most people never saw it at the time – in glorious colour.
This programme will use archive footage along with interviews with all ten surviving members of the original team to illustrate England’s journey from the preparation and opening draw against Uruguay to the epic battle with West Germany at Wembley. How England Won The World Cup will be narrated by actor Sean Bean.
Former British football great Sir Bobby Charlton said, “We won because we were a great team, we were a perfect blend, we had the right manager and we had the desire to win it.”
TWI has also produced a DVD of the programme with various added extras including extended interview footage with the remaining players. The DVD will be released on 5 June by Prism Leisure.
How England Won The World Cup is executive produced by TWI’s Simon Birri and is directed and produced by Kim Hogg. It was commissioned by Alex Sutherland, Controller History at Five. He said, “It is not often that sporting events can truly be said to have made history – but if ever there was such an occasion, this was it. The film is visually stunning, moving and dramatic – I’m proud to have it as part of this run of Revealeds.”
Hogg said, “We’ve been lucky enough to tell this story with the help of those who took part. Though most of us know what happened on 30 July 1966, there’s something special about hearing the words of Sir Geoff Hurst or Jack Charlton recounting their experience of stepping out onto the Wembley turf that day, unaware that in two hours later they would make history. Forty years on, the achievement of these guys is no less impressive.
“We have also been fortunate enough to uncover some previously unseen colour material of the final. This woven together with the reminiscences of the ten surviving World Cup Final players really does bring the tournament and its climax back to life.”
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.
