Ajay Pratap Singh has stepped down as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Absolute Sports, the parent company of Sportskeeda and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nazara Technologies. His exit marks the end of a nearly seven-year journey with the company, during which he helped turn Sportskeeda from a single sports media brand into a global digital media network.
Singh took over as CEO in November 2022 after Sportskeeda founder Porush Jain stepped down from the role. Before becoming CEO, he served as the company’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) and played an important role in its growth and expansion.
His departure comes at a time when Absolute Sports is facing business challenges and adapting to changes in ownership and strategy.
Ajay Pratap Singh’s Seven-Year Journey at Sportskeeda
Ajay Pratap Singh joined Sportskeeda in November 2019 as Head of Marketing. Within a year, he was promoted to COO, and later became CEO in 2022.
Before joining Sportskeeda, Singh worked with several well-known organisations, including Nextwave Multimedia, Dainik Bhaskar Group, Pro Football Network, and Tally Solutions. His experience across media and technology businesses helped him guide the company through a period of rapid growth.
Announcing his resignation through a LinkedIn post, Singh looked back on his time at the company and thanked his team. He said the most rewarding part of his journey was not just the business growth but the culture that was built within the organisation.
He described the workplace as one where meetings and brainstorming sessions often felt like conversations with close friends. According to Singh, the team played a major role in making the company successful.
Absolute Sports has not yet announced who will take over as CEO.
How Absolute Sports Expanded Under His Leadership
One of Singh’s biggest achievements as CEO was expanding Absolute Sports beyond Sportskeeda and building a larger digital media portfolio.
When he took charge, Sportskeeda was the company’s main brand. Over the next few years, Absolute Sports acquired several businesses and entered new content categories.
The company eventually built an eight-brand portfolio covering sports, gaming, entertainment, wrestling, and television content. Some of the major brands added during this period included Pro Football Network, College Football Network, Deltia’s Gaming, Soap Central, TJRWrestling, ITRWrestling, and Primetimer.
These acquisitions helped the company reach new audiences and strengthen its presence in international markets, especially North America.
Following his exit, Singh is now moving into entrepreneurship. He has updated his professional profile to show that he is the co-founder of a startup currently operating in “stealth mode.”
The new venture is reportedly building a specialised hiring platform that helps early-stage startup founders connect with talented professionals. The platform aims to keep the identity of participating startups private while helping them recruit the right people.
Revenue Drop and Nazara’s Ownership Changes
Although Absolute Sports expanded its portfolio significantly, the company recently faced financial difficulties.
For FY26, the company reported revenue of ₹147 crore, down 38.6% from ₹239.6 crore in FY25. According to management, the decline was mainly caused by lower organic traffic after Google’s March 2025 core algorithm update.
The update affected many digital publishers worldwide, reducing search traffic and impacting advertising revenue. As a result, several media companies have been forced to rethink their growth strategies.
Singh’s departure also comes shortly after Nazara Technologies completed its acquisition of Absolute Sports.
Nazara first acquired a majority stake in the company in 2019 for ₹44 crore. In December 2024, it increased its shareholding by purchasing an additional 10.26% stake from the founding shareholders for ₹72.73 crore.
The final step came in March 2025 when Nazara bought the remaining 8.97% stake from eligible employees for ₹69.17 crore. This made Absolute Sports a 100% wholly-owned subsidiary of Nazara Technologies.
At the same time, Nazara is reportedly reviewing some of its non-core businesses. The company is considering selling parts of its esports and adtech operations to generate cash and focus more on its core gaming business.
As Absolute Sports enters a new phase under full Nazara ownership, industry watchers will be closely monitoring who takes over as CEO and what direction the company chooses next. Meanwhile, Ajay Pratap Singh’s move into the startup world marks the beginning of a new chapter in his professional journey.