News Broadcasting
Satyam’s BPO outfit bags $25 million contract, in talks for another $10 million order
MUMBAI: Nipuna Services Ltd, the BPO subsidiary of IT major Satyam Computer Services, has bagged a $25 million animation outsourcing deal. The company is also in negotiations to work on a $10 million contract for another TV series animation project.
Earlier in the year, Nipuna signed a $9 million deal to provide services for a movie called First Fear which is set for release by June 2007. “We are expecting to bag a fresh contract for around $10 million. The German company will take a call based on the TV episodes that we come up with. We have already signed with this company for $25 million to produce TV series and a movie,” Nipuna chief financial officer M Satyanarayana tells Indiantelevision.com.
Nipuna will engage UK-based 4K Animation Ltd for the execution and delivery of these projects along with its own battery of 120 professionals over a period of 18 months. The two ‘iconic’ European animation projects include the third season of “Marvi Hemmer Presents National Geographic World,” an award-winning, 52- episode TV series, and a movie, also featuring Marvi Hammer.
“We will pay a fee to 4K for their services as they will be sending technical professionals from all over the world to work in India and help us in the project. The exact amount will be finalised when we know how many people and working hours we would need from them,” says Satyanarayana.
For First Fear, Nipuna had paid 4K around $3.25 million. By partnering with 4K, Nipuna is able to source talent from across the world to execute the projects.
The delivery period for the TV series will start from now and is expected to finish within nine months. The work for the movie will start from April and stretch over 12 months, according to Satyanarayana.
The series and movie feature a combination of live action and animation. They include actual studio sets used as animation backgrounds, a furry computer graphics creature and 2D-animated characters. Hamburg-based YOUA Edutainment, National Geographic, and German broadcaster ZDF will co-produce the series and movie.
Nipuna will provide VFX, CGI, 3D and 2D animation services, including pre-production, production, and post-production, from its studio in Chennai. Other animation artists will also collaborate from Hamburg and Berlin for this project delivery.
Says Nipuna CEO Venkatesh Roddam, “This partnership reflects a growing trend toward ‘corporatization’ in the animation industry, which is leading to increasingly significant opportunities. Long-term contracts such as this one show that companies recognize Nipuna’s capabilities in an industry where ‘human resources’ are integral to quality, and thereby responsible for the success of creative ventures.”
Nipuna has built significant VFX, CGI, and 3D animation skills by producing numerous global and domestic films. Among the more than 40 Indian films for which it has handled animation projects are Sainikudu, Stalin, Pokhiri, and Belly Full of Dreams. Nipuna also provides artwork and visualization services involving 2D and/or 3D animation techniques and processes to customers in the engineering, architectural, and medical industries.
Nipuna expects to close this fiscal with a turnover of $40 million, out of which
News Broadcasting
Network18 posts Rs 1,955 crore revenue, narrows FY26 losses
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.
