DTH
Cancel DTH licence auction, cable operators urge PEMRA
MUMBAI: Pakistan Electronic Media Regularity Authority (PEMRA) has been urged to cancel the auction of Direct-to-Home (DTH) licence and postpone launch of the services for three years. PEMRA was scheduled to auction DTH license on 23 November, adding that this decision would affect several thousand cable operators across Pakistan.
Peshawar chapter cable operators of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan have urged Pemra to cancel the auction and postpone the launch.
The Cable Operators Association of Pakistan (COAP) Peshawar chapter also sought take strict action against those providing non-permitted services of operating Indian TV and C-Line across Peshawar. They also sought removal of Indian television channels from all broadcast sources.
Around 14,000 operators having legal cable license were operating cable system across the country, of which 200 had been operating in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. In Peshawar alone, around 45 operators are delivering cable services.
Cable Operators Federation of Pakistan coordinator Ali Raza Khan said that they would raise their voice at every forum and would stage protests. Khan said that PEMRA was soon scheduled to auction DTH license.
Khan told journalists at a conference that the cable operators had put in billions in the digital system on the orders of PEMRA but neither the DTH nor the digital policy was clear to the operators since 2000.
Cable TV in Pakistan was earlier operated on the analogue system but later switched to digital cable system for which operators invested huge sums. Khan complained against authorities who were planning to launch DTH system.
PEMRA, Khan said, had received billions as taxes from the operators,. COAP expected that the authorities, instead of adopting dual policy, formulate separate policies for DTH and the digital system. The coordinator added that the sale of C-Line and Dish TV had already multiplied in Pakistan.
Khan urged the Chief of Army Staff to launch an operation against the illicit sale of C-line and Dish TV, bemoaning that they had met Pemra authorities to seek a solution to the issue, but it did not yield results.
DTH
Den Networks reports Rs 1,227 million FY26 profit growth
Revenue crosses Rs 10,009 million as margins improve and costs ease
MUMBAI: Not all signals are on screen some are buried in the balance sheet. Den Networks has reported a steady financial performance for FY26, with profit after tax rising to Rs 1,227.53 million, reflecting improved operational discipline despite a relatively flat top line. For the year ended March 31, 2026, the company posted revenue from operations of Rs 10,009.17 million, marginally higher than Rs 9,891.45 million in FY25. Total income stood almost unchanged at Rs 12,282.10 million compared to Rs 12,279.77 million a year earlier, signalling stability rather than aggressive expansion.
The real story, however, lies beneath the surface. Total expenses declined to Rs 10,648.32 million from Rs 10,691.30 million, driven by tighter cost controls across key heads. Employee benefit expenses dropped to Rs 548.64 million from Rs 651.52 million, while depreciation and amortisation expenses also eased to Rs 652.01 million from Rs 723.06 million, indicating a leaner operational structure.
As a result, profit before tax rose to Rs 1,633.78 million from Rs 1,588.47 million, while profit after tax improved to Rs 1,227.53 million, up from Rs 1,173.96 million in the previous year. Earnings per share stood at Rs 2.57, compared to Rs 2.46 in FY25, underlining incremental shareholder value creation.
On the balance sheet front, the company’s total assets expanded to Rs 43,416.76 million from Rs 42,496.64 million, supported by a sharp rise in bank balances to Rs 30,628.71 million. Equity also strengthened to Rs 38,532.74 million, reflecting accumulated profits and a growing financial cushion.
Cash flow dynamics, however, present a more nuanced picture. While investing activities generated a net inflow of Rs 632.80 million, operating activities saw an outflow of Rs 553.50 million, largely due to tax payments and working capital adjustments. The company ended the year with cash and cash equivalents of Rs 151.70 million, up from Rs 106.11 million.
Taken together, the numbers suggest a business that is prioritising efficiency over expansion holding revenue steady while tightening costs and strengthening its balance sheet. In an industry where growth often grabs headlines, Den Networks appears to be making a quieter statement: sometimes, resilience is the real signal.
