Cable TV
InCablenet might get Zee-Turner signals from 14 May: Chandra
MUMBAI: InCablenet may well start receiving signals of all the 17 channels belonging to the Zee-Turner bouquet from 14 May 2003 onwards.
Speaking on the sidelines of a media briefing to announce an alliance with France TV and Silhouette Films to co-produce a film, Zee Telefilms CMD Subhash Chandra said he expected Hinduja group MSO InCablenet to settle its outstandings tomorrow (14 May). Zee Turner had switched off the signals from 6 May 2003 onwards over waht it said were long-pending payment dues.
Chandra also mentioned that Zee-Turner would also be issuing a notice to MSO Hathway Cable & Datacom (in which Star India officially has a 26 per cent stake) tomorrow on the issue of outstanding payments.
Zee’s action of issuing a notice to Hathway totally rubbishes allegations that are being made against the three major pay broadcasters – Zee, Star and Sony – by certain quarters that they are cartelising in order to fragment the InCablenet network in Mumbai.
An indiantelevision.com report dated 8 May quotes industry sources who say InCablenet’s total dues owed to different broadcasters are: ESS Rs 30 million, SET-Discovery Rs 40 million, Zee-Turner Rs 3.7 million and Star Rs 40 million plus.
Commenting on the switching off the Zee-Turner bouquet of channels, Zee Turner CEO Sunil Khanna was earlier quoted in the release as saying that they were forced to take this action as the outstandings had piled up.
Zee Turner is the largest television network in India with 17 television channels, which includes Zee TV, Zee Cinema, Zee News, Zee Music, Alpha Marathi, Alpha Punjabi, Alpha Bangla, Alpha Gujarati, Zee English, Zee MGM, trendz, CNN, CNBC, Cartoon Network and Reality TV.
Also read:
Zee Turner bouquet switched off InCableNet in Mumbai
Star also switches off InCableNet in Mumbai
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.
