News Broadcasting
New cricket betting product launched
NEW JERSEY: Interactive Systems Worldwide has announced that ukbetting, a strategic partner of its wholly owned subsidiary, Global Interactive Gaming Ltd. (GIG), has introduced into live service a revolutionary new version of ISWI’s SportXction system, which enables users to bet on a broad range of wagering propositions that relate to events which occur during the course of a cricket match.
With the new product, customers of ukbetting’s sites, ukbetting.com and totalbet.com, are now able to place bets throughout the course of cricket matches in the World Cup being hosted by South Africa, Kenya and Zimbabwe. Examples of the types of bets which are available during the cricket World Cup include whether runs will be scored off a particular ball, whether a wicket will fall in a particular over and how the next man out will be dismissed.
Commenting on the launch, ukbetting plc’s CEO, Eric Semel, said, “The new cricket product is really unique. We can now offer an even wider range of wagering markets that no other bookmaker is able to match, including bets about the outcome of individual deliveries and whether certain events will occur during an over or not.” He added, “Cricket is the perfect sport for the in-run betting product. This World Cup is in a similar time zone as the UK, allowing our customers to access the Internet service at the same time they are likely to be in front of a computer screen. Once logged on, they can bet straight through the game if they wish, with any winnings instantly credited back to their accounts.”
SportXction is a patented, real-time, software system, which allows a player to make play-by-play wagers on a sporting event while the event is in progress. Wagering may be conducted while viewing a live or televised sporting event, or listening to it on the radio. The wagers offered are mostly oriented to short-term action.
ukbetting the digital wagering operator, is the owner and operator of sports content sites sportinglife.com, sportal.com, bettingzone.co.uk and TEAMtalk.com, and the betting sites totalbet.com and ukbetting.com.
GIG was purchased by ISWI from international owners, principally the Kirch Group the German multimedia conglomerate in late July.
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.
