News Broadcasting
Channel7 hunts for the fastest bowler with ‘Scorpio Speedster 2005’ contest
MUMBAI: Reality show fever still continues to be the flavour of the season. Even sports is not spared. IMG, the sports, lifestyle and entertainment management and marketing company, has associated with Hindi news channel – Channel7 to bring a reality hunt show Scorpio Speedster on tube.
Targeting an October-November launch, Scorpio Speedster will hunt for the seven fastest blowers. Though IMG had been conducting the hunt since 2003, this is the first time that IMG is taking Scorpio Speedster to television as a full-fledged reality show. In the last two years, ESPN Star Sports used to telecast vignettes of the contest.
Speaking about the association with IMG, Channel7 director Siddhartha Gupta says, “When we came across IMG and their concept of this search for India’s fastest bowler, we decided to create India’s reality cricket show. The idea now is not just to find who can bowl the fastest delivery in the nation, but to give India a true speed demon, a potential cricketing icon, a complete fast bowler.”
Out of 22 contenders, the top seven speedsters would form the final contenders for the title. The show will be hosted by Ajay Jadeja in the company of other experts. The seven bowlers would be showcased through 13 episodes on Channel7.
The regional rounds will be conducted for two days in each of the 10 cities and two winner from each cities will be selected. The 20 city contenders will compete with the winners and the runners-up of the 2003 and 2004 edition of Scorpio Speedster, says an official release.
IMG/TWI South Asia managing director Ravi Krishnan says: “IMG is proud to announce the third edition of this successful event as the official broadcaster Channel7, who, with their exciting reality show, will add a fresh dimension to the contest.”
Mahindra & Mahindra will be the official sponsor of the show while Canditi Foods will be the presenting sponsor. The co-sponsors are adidas and Domino’s Pizza. The Scorpio Speedster contest hopes to give that unrecognised talent a platform to achieve national, and ultimately, international recognition.
Channel7 chief operating officer Piyush Jain adds, “The event aims to bring out the best of Indian bowlers and will be well groomed through the seasons at MRF Pace Foundation along with a cash prize of Rs 10 lakhs.”
The hunt will commence in Delhi on 17 September and then move on to Chandigarh on 22 September, Jaipur (27 September), Gwalior (4 October), Lucknow (8 October), Hyderabad (15 October), Bangalore (21 October), Kolkatta (29 October), Ahmedabad (5 November), and Mumbai (11 November ).
The semi-finalists will test their speed against each other at Mumbai in their attempt to qualify as the final seven contenders for the reality show on Channel7.
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.
