News Broadcasting
Women sidelined in media?
MUMBAI: It’s a man’s world- even more so in media! Shocking, but that’s the report released by German media website Media Tenor on 16 January 2004.
The report indicates that there is a major bias regarding media coverage of women. Female politicians, scientists, entrepreneurs and bishops appear in only one out of every six news stories.
Based on a study conducted in 19 TV news formats over a period from 1January 2002 to 30 September 2003, the report suggests that the situation is so problematic that the news formats in the US, British, German and South African media do not even remotely reflect the real power distribution in their respective parliaments, governments and universities.
What seems to be the prime concern is the effect this type of news selection will have on the perception of development, inside and outside of these countries.
Quite unlike the claims made by the US and German media, despite the half of the heads of political parties being female at the time of analysis, the share of coverage of women is only 12 per cent, even lower than in other countries. “Hillary Clinton would probably not be amused by these results, “says the report.
On the contrary, the BBC and ITN in England, despite the government team and the heads of parties being male, could boast of better coverage of women.
What was surprising was that the report revealed is that Queen Elizabeth II figured in the top 10 list of the most covered women, not only in TV news in the UK, but also in the US and in Germany, alongside power riders US National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.
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.
