Cable TV
The Kitchen will travel to MIPTV
MUMBAI: The Kitchen a media firm that positions itself as the television industry’s only ‘one stop shop’ for all language customisation requirements will have a presence at the television event MIPTV.
The event takes place next month in Cannes, France.
Explaining the services that The Kitchen provides the company’s president, CEO Ken Lorber says, “Typically we will take a programme sample and have it dubbed and/or subtitled in as many as ten languages as a ‘test’.
“This serves as a vehicle for the distributor to generate programme sales in multiple languages, while providing us additional opportunities to customize programming on a global basis. We are able to provide this service for all types of content including: live action, animation, children’s programming, telenovelas, and series. It’s an opportunity for our clients to access their libraries and recycle material creating many new revenue streams.”
At The Kitchen, the language services division of TM Systems, developers of end to end language localisation software solution, there is no more shipping of videotapes and no more customs delays. All masters are digitised and time coded, files are encrypted and then sent via secure Internet and FTP sites to a global language network of approved ‘partner facilities’ in territories throughout the continents.
An original language ‘template’ is created, which is then distributed to the countries requested to complete the job, time codes and digitized scripts are sent immediately, review of casting and QC can be done from any PC and all material may be QC’d and mixed back at The Kitchen and/or in territory.
In addition to language transcription, translation, dubbing and subtitling, The Kitchen services include closed captioning, Sap services and graphics customisation.
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.
