News Broadcasting
BBC launches India special of ‘Talking Business’
MUMBAI: BBC World News’ flagship business discussion show Talking Business is in India this week for a special programme, the international news channel has announced.
Each week Talking Business brings together corporate leaders, global investors, top creatives, cutting-edge entrepreneurs and leading intellectuals to analyse current business issues and trends as well as discussing what is shaping the way we work, consume and live in the 21st century.
For this week’s special, which will be broadcast from the Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS) in Mumbai, BBC business presenter Yogita Limaye will be joined by a panel to discuss India’s skills gap, examining why, when a million people are coming into the Indian market place every month looking for work, employers say they are not able to find those with the skills they need.
The panel will include:
Vandan Shah, Managing Director of Sipra Engineers
Purvi Seth, Chief Executive of HR consultancy firm Shilputsi
Ninad Karpe, Chief Executive of Aptech – an IT training institute
Students from NMIMS will also join the discussion, which will cover different aspects of the skills gap such people looking for blue collar work.
Editor Simon Atkinson said, “Our business teams in Mumbai and Delhi work hard to tell the story of India’s economy – across the BBC’s business coverage on TV, radio and online and especially through our weekly programme India Business Report (IBR). So it’s fantastic to bring an edition of BBC World News’ flagship business talk show to India’s financial capital. As presenter of IBR, Yogita’s knowledge of the country’s business world will mean she can really delve into the issues and encourage a lively debate. It’s also great that by filming at NMIMS we will be able to hear what the potential business leaders of tomorrow think about the issues.”
Talking Business India will be broadcast on BBC World News on Friday, 30 October at 8 pm and repeated on Saturday 6 am and on Sunday at 6 pm.
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.
