Broadband
FY-2015: Subscription growth leads Sky revenue growth of 4.7%; EPS declines 2%
BENGALURU: London, UK headquartered pan-European satellite broadcasting, on-demand Internet streaming media, broadband and telephone services company Sky reported 4.7 per cent broad based total adjusted revenue growth for the year ended 30 June, 2015 (FY-2015) at ?11,2083 million as compared to the ?10,776 million in the previous year (FY-2014). Subscription is the biggest contributor to Sky’s revenue. The group’s revenue growth in the current year was led by a 4.6 per cent increment in adjusted subscription revenue at ?9697 million (85.9 per cent of total revenue) as compared to the ?9272 million (86 per cent of total revenue) in FY-2014.
Across its five territories (UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria and Italy), the group reported 973,000 new customer additions in FY-2015, 45 per cent more than previous year, and 158,000 new customers in Q4-2015. Subscription revenue growth was underpinned by excellent customer growth across the group and strong product growth of 4.6 million (829,000 in Q4-2015), with the largest proportion of revenue growth continuing to be delivered through the UK where revenues were up over ?300 million. Alongside this, the group’s best year of customer growth in Germany drove a 10 per cent increase in subscription revenues, whilst Italy held total customers and revenue flat.
Other segments
Sky’s advertising revenue in FY-2015 grew 3.8 per cent to ?716 million (6.3 per cent of total revenue) as compared to the ?690 million (6.4 per cent of total revenue) in FY-2014. Sky attributes growth in advertising revenues with Germany delivering growth of 26 per cent through higher sellout rates and increased inventory around Bundesliga. Advertising revenues in the UK grew strongly, up five per cent, due to the benefit of incremental AdSmart revenues combined with Sky Media increasing their share of net advertising revenue by almost 170 basis points, whilst advertising revenue was down in Italy as we lapped the €27 million benefit of the FIFA World Cup revenues in Q4 last year.
Transactional revenue increased 21.8 per cent to ?173 million (1.8 per cent of total revenue) in FY-2015 as compared to the ?142 million (1.3 per cent of total revenue) in the previous fiscal. Sky says that it benefited from the success of its Buy and Keep service, which surpassed weekly revenue of ?1 million in Q4-2015, and NOW TV transactions, which totaled almost 1.5 million over the past twelve months.
Sky’s wholesale and syndication revenue in the current year increased 5 per cent to ?550 million (4.9 per cent of total revenue) as compared to the ?524 million (5 per cent of total revenue) in FY-2014. Sky says that growth was largely driven by continued growth in the UK where revenues were up 19 per cent as success on screen led to more favourable terms for our channels with wholesale partners. Alongside this, revenues were strong through the distribution of our programming internationally and the first time consolidation of Znak&Jones and Love Productions. In Italy, underlying wholesale revenues were broadly flat year on year (excluding the benefit in the prior year from Champions League resale revenues), whilst revenues in Germany were slightly down following the successful migration of former Deutsche Telekom wholesale customers to a retail relationship in the prior year.
Other revenue was almost flat (declined fractionally) to ?147 million (1.3 per cent of total revenue) as compared to the ?148 million (1.37 per cent of total revenue) in the previous year.
Adjusted profit before tax increased 5.9 per cent to ?1196 million as compared to ?1129 million in FY-2014. Adjusted EPS declined 1.9 per cent to 56p as compared to the 57.1p in the previous year
Broadband
Tejas Networks names Arnob Roy as MD and CEO, overhauls top leadership team
The Bengaluru-based telecom gear maker reshuffles its entire top team even as quarterly revenue collapses by 83 per cent
BENGALURU: Tejas Networks is changing the guard at the top, and doing so at speed. The Bengaluru-headquartered telecom equipment maker has elevated Arnob Roy as managing director and chief executive officer, effective April 15, 2026, for a term running through to August 3, 2028, and in the same breath announced new appointments across operations and finance. The timing is pointed: the company is navigating one of the roughest patches in its recent history.
Roy steps up from his role as executive director and chief operating officer, a position he has held since March 2019. He brings more than three decades of experience in the high-technology sector across research and development, operations, and sales. His predecessor, Anand Athreya, resigned last year citing personal reasons and was relieved on June 20, 2025, leaving a gap at the top that has now been formally filled.
The numbers Roy inherits are sobering. Tejas posted a net loss of Rs 211.3 crore in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2026, a near-194 per cent widening year on year from Rs 71.8 crore in the same period a year earlier. Revenue for the quarter collapsed 82.6 per cent year on year to Rs 333 crore, down from Rs 1,907 crore. EBITDA swung to a loss of Rs 118.2 crore against a profit of Rs 121.5 crore a year ago. The culprit is not hard to identify: Tejas has derived the bulk of its revenue from BSNL’s fourth-generation network project, delivered as part of a Tata Consultancy Services-driven consortium, and that roll-out is now winding down.
Roy, speaking during a post-earnings conference call with analysts, was candid about where the company has been. “The BSNL 4G network went live across 100,000 sites. We deployed our largest indigenous router networks in the country through the BSNL MAN network, as well as in the BharatNet Phase 3 network,” he said, adding that Tejas had also successfully rolled out its 400G and 800G DWDM equipment in domestic and international markets, and continued the deployment of what it describes as the world’s largest satellite IoT network through its vehicle tracking system solution.
The pivot to new revenue streams is already under way. Tejas has partnered with Japan’s Rakuten Symphony and NEC Corporation to push deeper into international markets, with several Open Radio Access Network trials ongoing, one of which concluded recently. The company is also diversifying across equipment categories and geographies to sustain momentum as the BSNL chapter closes.
To prosecute that strategy, Roy needs a full team around him. Preetham Uthaiah has been appointed chief operating officer, moving up from his current role as vice president of product management for wireless products at Tejas Networks. Uthaiah brings nearly 30 years of global experience spanning engineering, product management, and business development across India and the United States. Before joining Tejas Networks, he served as executive vice president of product management, marketing, and strategy at Saankhya Labs, and held senior roles at Tech Mahindra on both sides of the Atlantic. He holds an MBA from Arizona State University and a degree in electronics and communications from Karnatak University.
On the finance front, AVS Prasad has been approved as chief financial officer, effective May 16, 2026, succeeding Sumit Dhingra, who has resigned. Prasad, currently serving as finance controller at Tejas Networks, brings over 27 years of experience within the Tata Group across telecom, aerostructures, and defence. A company secretary and cost and management accountant by training, he has spent more than 15 years in senior finance roles including CFO and financial controller positions, with expertise spanning corporate finance, treasury management, regulatory compliance, internal audit, and governance.
New chief executive, new chief operating officer, new chief financial officer — all installed in a single move, at a moment when the company’s largest revenue source is drying up and the next chapter remains unwritten. Tejas Networks has placed its bets. Now it has to deliver.
