iWorld
ALTBalaji adds 3.48 mn subscriptions in 9MFY22; direct sub revenue at Rs 45 cr
Mumbai: Balaji Telefilms announced its third quarter financial results for FY 2022. The company’s quarterly income from operations at the end of 31 December 2021 stood at Rs 76.2 crore. It posted a net loss after tax of Rs 26.4 crore for the quarter.
The company reported that total subscriptions sold for their OTT platform ALTBalaji for the third quarter year-to-date FY22 stood at 3.48 million. The direct subscription revenue was recorded at Rs 45 crore.
Engagement time on the video-on-demand platform was recorded at 82 minutes with a watch time of 15.45 billion in minutes. Till date, cumulative video views on the platform stands at 1.26 billion.
ALTBalaji added 11 shows in the nine months and has taken the overall library to 89+ shows.
The company said its TV business continued normal in the past nine months with 618 hours of production across seven shows and a strong pipeline for the year. “Three new shows have been lined up and should commence shortly,” said the company statement.
The company also has five film projects in the pipeline. “Movie business resumed production and the company made good progress,” said the company adding that it continues to wait for availability for theatrical launch windows and looking at deals across direct to digital as well. As part of its strategy it continues to control investments in movies and pursue pre-sales and co-production deals where feasible.
“ALTBalaji continues to drive subscription growth and we added 3.48 million subscriptions during the nine months,” said Balaji Telefilms managing director Shobha Kapoor. “We added 11 shows in the nine months and now have a solid line up for the rest of the year. Our strategic content sharing deals will ensure we control on the cash spend while driving overall profitability. Our TV business has shown good recovery in terms of production hours and we hope to improve this momentum as three new shows will commence. In the movie business, production for some exciting projects is at various stages of completion. We closely monitor the availability of theatrical releases and direct to digital launches. Overall, the year has been good and expected to continue the momentum.”
Gaming
MTG gaming chief Benninghoff joins NODWIN board as esports firm primes for IPO
The Gurugram-based esports firm is pursuing a public listing, has returned to profitability and is growing revenues by 42 per cent
GURUGRAM: NODWIN Gaming is moving fast. The Gurugram-based gaming and esports company has launched a pre-IPO fundraising round, appointed UBS as lead adviser for both the round and a subsequent public listing, and landed a heavyweight board director, all in one go.
The new board member is Arnd Benninghoff, executive vice president of gaming at Stockholm-listed Modern Times Group (MTG), who has overseen the group’s strategic investments and portfolio growth since 2014. He is no stranger to building things: Benninghoff has founded and built fifteen companies, served as chief digital officer at ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG, managing director of SevenVentures, and chief executive of Holtzbrinck eLAB. He began his career as a journalist at Deutsche Presse Agentur and various TV networks, holds a Diplom-Kaufmann in business and administration from the University of Münster, and previously sat on the board of Edgeware AB.
The numbers back the ambition
NODWIN is not pitching a story without substance. The company has returned to EBITDA profitability and posted a 42 per cent year-on-year revenue surge, reaching $58.5m in the first nine months of FY2026. The pre-IPO round will combine a primary issuance to fund global expansion through organic growth and acquisitions, alongside a secondary sale to give existing shareholders some liquidity.
Akshat Rathee, co-founder and managing director of NODWIN Gaming, said Benninghoff understands “the entire lifecycle of the gaming and media ecosystem, from the boots-on-the-ground reality of building startups to the strategic complexity of managing multi-billion dollar global portfolios.”
Benninghoff, for his part, said the company “sits at the intersection of sports, entertainment, and technology, making it one of the most exciting players in the global gaming landscape today.”
A portfolio built for the global south
Founded in 2014 by Rathee and Gautam Virk, NODWIN has quietly assembled one of the more compelling esports portfolios outside the Western hemisphere. Its properties include DreamHack India and Comic Con India, and it recently acquired StarLadder, the Ukraine-based tournament organiser behind premier events in CS:GO and Dota 2. The company also serves as a long-term strategic marketing partner for the Evolution Championship Series (EVO), the world’s most prominent fighting game tournament, helping push it into new geographies.
Its geographic focus spans South Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Backers include Nazara Technologies, KRAFTON, Sony Group Corporation, JetSynthesys, and the founders’ investment vehicle Good Game Investments.
What comes next
With UBS running the books, a board freshly reinforced with European media and gaming expertise, and revenue heading in the right direction, NODWIN is laying the groundwork deliberately. The esports industry has burned investors before with big promises and thin margins. NODWIN’s return to profitability, combined with a real portfolio of owned intellectual properties across gaming, music and youth culture, gives it a more credible runway than most. The IPO clock is now ticking.
