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Septuagenarian Murdoch becomes proud papa
You are never too old to be a parent. At least that’s the message global media baron Rupert Murdoch seems to be sending out to other septuagenarians. The News Corp owner became a father of a nine-pound girl on Monday evening in New York. His third wife Wendi Deng delivered a healthy baby who has since been named Grace Helen, according to media reports.
Grace Helen Murdoch is Rupert Murdoch’s fifth child and first through Wendi. His eldest is Prudence MacLeod (38) through first wife Patricia, Elisabeth (33), Lachlan (30), and James Murdoch (28) were born during his 31 year marriage with second wife Anna, who he divorced two years ago surprisingly to marry Wendi who worked within Star TV in Asia.
Sources indicate that Grace will be handed a stake in News Corp some time in future through Murdoch’s holding company Cruden Investments.
Additionally, Grace is likely to inherit a 10 per cent stake in Cruden held by Rupert’s mother Dame Elizabeth Murdoch. Cruden Investment’s holds a 30 per cent stake in News Corp.
News Corp is run by President & COO Peter Chernin, though Lachlan and James both hold key position in the Murdoch empire. His daughter Elisabeth runs a production house independent of her father’s media interests, while eldest daughter Prudence also does her own thing.
This is what she had told AFP a couple of years ago describing her father: “I’m sure he can be unpleasant, but dad is not evil… he is very fit and very much in control of everybody and he ain’t going to retire. I can’t ever see him slowing down.”
Shall we say Amen to that?
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.
