DTH
Pak to award three DTH licences on 23 Nov; Chinese, UAE companies also in fray
MUMBAI: Twelve companies have been shortlisted by PEMRA to bid for the award of three DTH licences on 23 November which is anticipated to fetch around US$400 million. Initially the authority will issue license for a period of 15 years, which will be extended as per agreement.
No TV channel would be allowed to be a part of the licence directly. The base price for the bid offering was PKR 20 million.
The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority is expecting indirect and direct investment of PKR 4194 crore (INR 2720 crore) through bidding of Direct to Home licenses during the next three years. PEMRA officials said the body will open the bidding process at the PEMRA headquarters to give away three licenses, for which 12 companies including Chinese, Russian and UAE firms out of 16 had been selected, Pakistani newspapers reported.
The short-listed companies are:
Mag Entertainment LahÂore
Orient Electronics LahÂore
Skyflix Islamabad
Startimes CommuniÂcaÂtions IslaÂmÂabad
Smart Sky IslamÂabad
Sardar Builders Islamabad
Parus Media and Broadcast Islamabad
Naya Tel Islamabad
ShaÂhÂzad Sky Islamabad
Maestro MedÂia Distribution Islamabad
HB DTH Islamabad
IQ ComÂmunications Karachi
PEMRA had fixed the price of DTH service box PKR 2,500 to PKR 3,000 and its subscription fee will be only PKR 550 a month.
Countrywide, this decision is forecast to create 1,500 direct and 15,000 indirect employment opportunities. PEMRA officials said DTH had captured maximum 25 per cent market while the rest was being served by digital cable suppliers.
There are around three million consumers, using Indian DTH, and the government aims to eliminate it through local facilities and save about PKR 24 billion in capital flight to India.
A PEMRA official said that a Chinese firm was keen to establish a company in Pakistan to manufacture set-top box for DTH and digital cable TV. The Pakistani cable market is primarily analogue, and the most of the operators have not adequately invested in upgrading their networks.
Cable operators in Pakistan had launched an anti-DTH campaign. The Cable Operators Association had staged a protest last week against the DTH bidding. Association chairman Khalid Arain said that the PEMRA chairman had assured the association that PEMRA would not launch DTH in the next two years, warning it to stop the bidding or face the consequences.
Meanwhile, Christian Post reported that PEMRA had banned all 11 Christian TV channels airing in the country and arrested at least six cable operators for defying the order.
PEMRA does not grant landing rights for religious content, allowing the airing of Christian messages only for Christmas and Easter.
However, the Christian channels had been operating for over 25 years. PEMRA has now formally labelled the Christian channels as illegal, the Post reported quoting UCAnews.
DTH
GTPL Hathway posts FY26 revenue growth, Q4 slips into loss
Annual profit at Rs 5.88 crore; Q4 loss at Rs 5.90 crore
MUMBAI: A strong year met a shaky finish as GTPL Hathway closed FY26 on a high note only to stumble at the final hurdle. The company’s latest financials reveal a tale of two timelines: steady annual growth alongside a fourth-quarter dip that nudged it into the red. GTPL Hathway Limited reported total income of Rs 2,472.46 crore for the year ended March 31, 2026, marking a clear rise from Rs 2,223.00 crore in FY25. Revenue from operations stood at Rs 2,450.78 crore, up from Rs 2,193.38 crore a year ago, signalling consistent traction in its core cable TV and broadband business.
Yet, beneath the annual growth narrative, the March quarter told a different story. The company posted a net loss of Rs 5.90 crore in Q4 FY26, a sharp reversal from a profit of Rs 0.91 crore in the preceding quarter and Rs 8.15 crore in the same period last year. Total income for the quarter came in at Rs 618.46 crore, largely flat sequentially but higher than Rs 569.33 crore reported a year earlier.
The pressure was visible across the cost structure. Total expenses for the quarter rose to Rs 620.64 crore, marginally exceeding income and tipping the company into a loss before tax of Rs 7.87 crore. This compares with a profit before tax of Rs 1.22 crore in the December quarter and Rs 11.32 crore in Q4 FY25.
For the full year, however, profitability held firm. GTPL reported a net profit of Rs 5.88 crore in FY26, significantly lower than Rs 47.80 crore in FY25, but still in positive territory despite higher finance costs and operating expenses. Operating expenses alone climbed to Rs 1,884.53 crore for the year, up from Rs 1,603.53 crore, reflecting the increasing cost of running and scaling network infrastructure.
Finance costs also rose notably to Rs 33.57 crore in FY26 from Rs 22.19 crore in FY25, while depreciation and amortisation expenses stood at Rs 189.19 crore, underlining continued investments in assets and technology. Employee benefit expenses, however, declined to Rs 63.42 crore from Rs 77.08 crore, offering some relief on the cost front.
An exceptional item of Rs 5.69 crore during the year also weighed on profitability, compared with Rs 3.79 crore in the previous year. Meanwhile, tax adjustments, including deferred tax movements and prior-year adjustments, played a role in shaping the final earnings outcome.
Despite the quarterly wobble, the broader picture suggests a company still expanding its top line while grappling with margin pressures. With paid-up equity share capital unchanged at Rs 112.46 crore, the focus now shifts to whether GTPL can convert its revenue momentum into more stable, sustainable profitability in the coming quarters.
In short, FY26 may have delivered growth on paper but the closing chapter serves as a reminder that in business, as in broadband, consistency is everything.
