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Countdown begins for Commonwealth Games; Nine Network announces telecast plan
MUMBAI: The Australian television network Nine has announced an all-star team of over 40 presenters, commentators and reporters for its telecast of the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games from 15 March.
Ray Martin, Liz Hayes and Nicole Livingstone will host Nine’s exclusive coverage of the Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony.
Ken Sutcliffe will present the network’s evening coverage of the Games, with Mark Nicholas covering the afternoon sessions. The morning programming will be anchored by James Brayshaw and Garry Lyon. Leila McKinnonm will provide sports updates throughout the telecast.
Nine’s Commonwealth Games coverage will commence with the special Countdown To The Games, a one-hour special at 7:30 pm on 15 March, before the Opening Ceremony. Nine’s commentary team features a host of Commonwealth and Olympic Games greats such as Ray Warren and Duncan Armstrong.
Nine Network head of Sport and Commonwealth Games Gary Fenton says, “This is an outstanding group of talented presenters, commentators and reporters set to bring Australian viewers all the action and excitement of the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games.”
Meanwhile, The All Asia Broadcast Centre of Astro Malaysia will provide 650 hours of live and delayed telecast of the Melbourne Commonwealth Games scheduled from 15 to 26 March. The coverage will kick off with the opening ceremony on 15 March at 5:30 pm.
Astro programming director Zainir Aminullah said Astro subscribers would have the chance to watch all the action in Melbourne via Astro Super Sports on Channel 80 at no additional cost.
In India, Prasar Bharati had bagged the 2006 Commonwealth games broadcasting rights. The event will be available live on DD National and DD Sports. AIR will broadcast running commentary of important matches and events.
MUMBAI: When margins wobble, liquidity talks and in Q3 FY25-26, cash did most of the talking. Den Networks Limited closed the December quarter with consolidated revenue of Rs.251 crore, marginally higher than the previous quarter but down 4 per cent year-on-year, even as profitability stayed resilient on the back of strong cash reserves and disciplined cost control.
Subscription income softened to Rs.98 crore, slipping 3 per cent sequentially and 14 per cent from last year, while placement and marketing income offered some cheer, rising 15 per cent quarter-on-quarter to Rs.148 crore. Total costs climbed faster than revenue, up 7 per cent QoQ to Rs.238 crore, driven largely by higher content costs and operating expenses. As a result, EBITDA dropped sharply to Rs.13 crore from Rs.19 crore in Q2 and Rs.28 crore a year ago, pulling margins down to 5 per cent.
Yet, the bottom line refused to blink. Profit after tax stood at Rs.40 crore, up 15 per cent sequentially and only marginally lower than last year’s Rs.42 crore. A healthy Rs.57 crore in other income helped cushion operating pressure, keeping profit before tax at Rs.48 crore, broadly stable quarter-on-quarter despite the tougher cost environment.
The real headline-grabber, however, sits on the balance sheet. The company remains debt-free, with cash and cash equivalents swelling to Rs.3,279 crore as of December 31, 2025. Net worth rose to Rs.3,748 crore, while online collections accounted for 97 per cent of total receipts, underscoring strong cash discipline across operations, including subsidiaries.
In short, while Q3 showed signs of operating strain, the financial backbone remains solid. With zero gross debt, steady profits and a formidable cash war chest, the company enters the next quarter with flexibility firmly on its side proving that in uncertain markets, balance sheet strength can be the best growth strategy.
