Cable TV
Sony lines up afternoon fare; horror show to replace Jassi
MUMBAI: Sony Entertainment Television (SET) India is now looking at strengthening its afternoon band, which so far aired repeats of prime time shows. Starting 15 May, two new shows will be launched between 1 and 2 pm in the ‘Nayi Dopahar’ band.
Kabhie To Nazar Milao from the UTV stable will air from Monday to Thursday at 1 pm, whereas Rishton Di Dorr produced by Sri Adhikari Brothers will air at 1:30 pm. The afternoon band will, however, continue to telecast repeats of prime time shows from 12 to 1 pm (Ek Ladki Anjaani Si and Kaisa Ye Pyaar Hai) and from 2 to 3 pm (Thodi Khushi Thoda Gham and Aisa Desh Hai Mera).
“The idea was to consolidate the all day GRPs of the channels and hence we have introduced fresh programming in the ‘Nayi Dophar’ band, which will help us achieve that,” says SET India COO NP Singh.
Meanwhile, in the prime time slot, Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi, which finally comes to an end tomorrow (4 May) will be replaced by a horror show Khaufnaak. This one hour show produced by Sri Adhikari Brothers will air from Monday to Thursday at 10 pm.
“Khaufnaak will be a seasonal show, which will end in a month or so. We will introduce new one hour weeklies in the 10 to 11 pm band in June. That will culminate our initiative of providing new and fresh programming for our viewers,” says Singh.
In early March, Sony had introduced a fresh new Friday band with Deal Ya No Deal, Fear Factor, a revamped CID and Kandy Floss under the ‘Shukra Hai Shukravaar Hai’ band. On 24 March, the channel yet again launched two new shows in the 9 to10 pm band – Aisa Desh Hai Mera and Thodi Khushi Thoda Gham.
Now, the new weeklies in the 10 to 11 pm band in June will be the shows to watch out for
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.
