Cable TV
Hathway bids highest in Hyderabad cable laying tender
MUMBAI: Hathway Cable & Datacom may get the exclusive rights to use and lease out electric poles in Hyderabad and Secunderabad for laying optic cable. In a tender invited by the Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, the multi system operator (MSO) has emerged as the highest bidder, having quoted Rs 15 million.
Though other players can use the electric poles, the tender requires that the company winning the bid will charge from those interested parties. This is for the first time that the city’s Municipal Corporation has decided to award a single player the exclusive rights to use electric poles. There are approximately 1,00,000 electric poles in Hyderabad.
Interestingly, Siticable and Incablenet did not participate in the tender which is valid for a year. Iqara Broadband, a subsidiary company of British Gas, was among the three companies who bid, sources said.
The bids were opened on 18 August but Hathway has still to receive intimation from the Hyderabad Municipal Corporation. It remains to be seen how this will work out because the other MSOs may oppose this move. In many cities, the municipal corporation charges a fee per electric pole used by the cable and broadband companies.
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.
