News Broadcasting
Nimbus’ channel named Neo Sports; Scott Ferguson to head international operations
MUMBAI: Harish Thawani’s Nimbus Communications Limited appears to be on track as regards its stated aim to launch three sports channels between October 2006 and September 2007.
Nimbus today announced the name of its main channel as Neo Sports and that the sports broadcasting business’ India operations have been spun off into a new wholly owned subsidiary called Nimbus Sports Broadcast Limited. The statement issued by Nimbus, however, made no mention of who would be heading channel operations in India. That announcement is expected next week.
Nimbus’ international sports broadcast operations will meanwhile, be managed by Nimbus Media Private Limited based out of Singapore. Appointed as head of Nimbus Media is Scott Ferguson who takes charge as COO heading Asiawide sports broadcast operations.
Scott, who has been heading sports broadcasting at Orbit in the Middle East, has over 20 years of experience and has had earlier stints at BBC TV, ITV, Sky and NTL.
Nimbus is pumping over Rs 3 billion (approximately $ 67 million) into Phase 1 of the sports broadcasting business and will invest a further Rs 1.5 billion ($ 33 million) in Phase 2. As has already been reported, over the last one year Nimbus has secured over $ 75 million (Rs 3.4 billion) of fresh financing from 3i & Deutsche Bank.
Meanwhile, Nimbus has commissioned Singapore based broadcast design company Brandspeed to do the channel branding and design.
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.
