Cable TV
Mona Jain quits Vivaki Exchange
MUMBAI: When Lodestar UM and Cheil won the Samsung account, no one could have guessed that it would lead to Mona Jain putting down her papers from Vivaki Exchange.
The brand’s account was earlier with Starcom MediaVest Group which it lost out to the IPG Mediabrand’s agency Lodestar UM in a multi-agency pitch.
When indiantelevision.com contacted the CEO of the media agency, she was unavailable for comment. Jain was promoted to the position in 2011. Prior to that, she was the chief operating officer of the agency.
Sources in the industry have confirmed the news and feel that it was kind of expected as the agency lost out to major clients in the recent past.
Jain has more than two decades of experience in marketing communications. Over the years, she has worked with agencies such as Hindustan Thompson, Contract Advertising, Mudra Communications, ZenithOptimedia and Cheil Communications. She also has the experience of being on the ‘client side’ with short stints at Glaxo SmithKline.
MUMBAI: When margins wobble, liquidity talks and in Q3 FY25-26, cash did most of the talking. Den Networks Limited closed the December quarter with consolidated revenue of Rs.251 crore, marginally higher than the previous quarter but down 4 per cent year-on-year, even as profitability stayed resilient on the back of strong cash reserves and disciplined cost control.
Subscription income softened to Rs.98 crore, slipping 3 per cent sequentially and 14 per cent from last year, while placement and marketing income offered some cheer, rising 15 per cent quarter-on-quarter to Rs.148 crore. Total costs climbed faster than revenue, up 7 per cent QoQ to Rs.238 crore, driven largely by higher content costs and operating expenses. As a result, EBITDA dropped sharply to Rs.13 crore from Rs.19 crore in Q2 and Rs.28 crore a year ago, pulling margins down to 5 per cent.
Yet, the bottom line refused to blink. Profit after tax stood at Rs.40 crore, up 15 per cent sequentially and only marginally lower than last year’s Rs.42 crore. A healthy Rs.57 crore in other income helped cushion operating pressure, keeping profit before tax at Rs.48 crore, broadly stable quarter-on-quarter despite the tougher cost environment.
The real headline-grabber, however, sits on the balance sheet. The company remains debt-free, with cash and cash equivalents swelling to Rs.3,279 crore as of December 31, 2025. Net worth rose to Rs.3,748 crore, while online collections accounted for 97 per cent of total receipts, underscoring strong cash discipline across operations, including subsidiaries.
In short, while Q3 showed signs of operating strain, the financial backbone remains solid. With zero gross debt, steady profits and a formidable cash war chest, the company enters the next quarter with flexibility firmly on its side proving that in uncertain markets, balance sheet strength can be the best growth strategy.
