News Broadcasting
Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s specials to hit Indian televison exclusively on BIG CBS LOVE
Mumbai: BIG CBS LOVE, India’s number one English GEC amongst elite urban Indian audiences, is all set to bring a brand new variety of entertainment to its viewers. Introducing celebrity chef Jamie Oliver and his food escapades from all over the world on BIG CBS LOVE’s latest offering: Jamie Oliver’s Specials. The 52 episode special presentation will showcase three unique food based programs by the renowned UK based chef and health campaigner. The three shows namely, Emmy winning Jamie’s Food Revolution, Jamie’s Food Escapes and Jamie’s 30 minute meals will begin airing back to back exclusively on BIG CBS LOVE on August 17, 2013 at 7 PM.
The shows are an eclectic mix of health food, world food and instant meals taught by the chef in unmistakable Jamie style. Kick-starting the three-show special is Jamie’s Food Revolution which is a grassroots campaign in the United States to curb obesity. In the first season of this Emmy Award winner in the Outstanding Reality Program category, his efforts are focused in Huntington, West Virginia, statistically one of the unhealthiest cities in the country. The show garnered a whopping six million plus viewership for its premiering episode and ranked amongst the top three positions in its time slot for the entirety of the season.
Up next is Jamie’s Food Escapes wherein Chef Jamie Oliver, who has been named the most influential person in the UK hospitality industry, travels across Europe and North Africa to find authentic ingredients and extraordinary characters. Oliver stops in Marrakesh, Athens, Andalusia, the French Pyrenees, Venice and Stockholm and uses local ingredients in each location to prepare exotic meals. He immerses himself in the myriad cultures, learns traditional cooking practices from the locals and partakes in their cultural ceremonies.
And last but not the least is Jamie’s 30 minute meals in which Jamie shows how to cook a complete meal in just 30 minutes, sharing his tricks of the trade, and preparing amazing healthy food, using ingredients that are fresh, and full of nutrition. The show focuses on home-cooked meals that could be put together within the titular timeframe, using simple, ‘not cheffy’ techniques, with an emphasis on educating viewers about the cooking processes themselves.
Jamie Oliver’s Specials will be promoted extensively through a multi-media marketing push with the help of RBNL’S marketing muscle and expertise that will promote the show across the platforms of television, radio, cinemas, digital, outdoor, on ground and road shows.
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.
