Cable TV
Den Network reports 11.5% growth in FY-2015 cable subscription revenue; posts loss
BENGALURU: Den Networks Ltd reported that its cable business subscription revenues net off LCO share grew 11.5 per cent to Rs 966 crore in FY-2015 from Rs 866 core in FY-2014. In the current quarter, cable business subscription revenues net off LCO share grew 13 per cent to Rs 252 crore from Rs 223 crore in Q4-2014.
Note: 100,00,000 = 100 lakh = 10 million = 1 crore
Including LCO share, Den Networks cable business subscription revenues grew 3.6 per cent to Rs 1093 crore in FY-2015 from Rs 1055 crore in FY-2014. Cable business subscription revenues including LCO share in Q4-2015 declined seven per cent to Rs 265 crore from Rs 285 crore in Q4-2014.
In FY-2015, Den Networks reported loss of Rs 144.01 crore as compared to a profit of Rs 38.40 crore in the previous year. Loss in Q4-2015 was Rs 61.15 crore as compared to a profit of Rs 10.05 crore in the corresponding year ago quarter. Loss in Q3-2015 was slightly higher Rs 62.60 crore
Den Networks says that it added 10 lakh set top boxes (STB) in FY-2015, taking the total STBs deployed to approximately 70 lakh. It says further that its current digital subscriber base in Phase 1 and 2 stood at approximately 51 lakh.
Let us look at the other numbers reported by Den Networks
Den Networks TIO in FY-2015 at Rs 1129.64 crore was 1.2 per cent more than the Rs 1116.69 crore in FY-2014. TIO in Q4-2015 at Rs 270.30 crore was 10.5 per cent lower than the Rs 301.86 crore in Q4-2014, but 0.6 per cent more than the Rs 268.81 crore in Q3-2015.
Total expense (TE) in FY-2015 at Rs 1223.18 crore was 27.2 per cent more than Rs 961.92 crore in FY-2014. TE in Q4-2015 at Rs 323.79 crore was 20.3 per cent more than the Rs 269.18 crore in Q4-2014 and was 2.2 per cent more than the Rs 316.75 crore in Q3-2015.
The company’s content cost in FY-2015 at Rs 454.52 crore was 22.3 per cent more than the Rs 371.73 crore in FY-2014. Content cost in Q4-2014 at Rs 139.13 crore was 38 per cent more than the Rs 100.85 crore in Q4-2014 and 26.4 per cent more than the Rs 110.06 crore in Q3-2015.
Den’s EBIDTA (without considering other income) in FY-2015 at Rs 92.41 crore was much lower than the Rs 302.17 crore in FY-2014. Q4-2015 EBIDTA was negative Rs 5.97 crore in Q4-2015 as compared to an EBIDTA of Rs 73.18 crore in Q4-2014 and EBIDTA of Rs 0.28 crore in the immediate trailing quarter.
Company Speak
Den Networks CEO Pradeep Parameswaran said, “We are laying the foundation of building a powerful consumer franchise in broadband, cable television and television shopping. Significant investments are being made to bring disruptive consumer offerings to the market. We are augmenting our historical strength in cable operations with high quality talent in all functions. Besides focus on internal changes, I am also hopeful of a stronger collaboration with LCOs’ and other industry partners to take steps for successful execution of digitisation process thus supporting the government push towards digital India. Our excitement in the scale of opportunities and our ability to capture it continues to remain strong.”
“We have seen positive results on subscription revenues and collections in Q4 of the current year. The profitability has been impacted because of the new business initiatives of the company including broadband, TV Shop and Football as we build Den Networks for the future,” added Parameswaran.
Cable TV
Hathway Cable appoints Gurjeev Singh Kapoor as CEO
Leadership change comes as cable TV faces shrinking subscriber base and modest earnings pressure
MUMBAI: Hathway Cable and Datacom has tapped industry veteran Gurjeev Singh Kapoor as chief executive officer, marking a leadership pivot at a time when India’s cable television business is under mounting strain.
Kapoor will take over from Tavinderjit Singh Panesar, who is set to retire in August after a long innings with the company. Panesar, chief executive since 2023, has held multiple leadership roles at Hathway, including his latest stint beginning in 2022.
Kapoor brings more than three decades of experience in media and entertainment. He most recently led distribution at The Walt Disney Company’s Star India business, now part of JioStar. His career spans television distribution and affiliate partnerships, with stints at Sony Pictures Networks India, Discovery Communications and Zee Entertainment.
Panesar, with over three decades in the industry, has worked across strategic planning, distribution and business development in media, broadcasting and manufacturing. His past associations include ESPN Star Sports, Star India, Apollo Tyres and JK Industries.
The transition lands as the cable sector grapples with structural disruption. Traditional operators are losing ground to streaming platforms, while telecom and broadband players tighten the squeeze with bundled offerings.
An EY report estimates India’s pay-TV base could shrink by a further 30 to 40 million households by 2030, taking the total down to 71 to 81 million. The slide follows a loss of nearly 40 million homes between 2018 and 2024, a contraction that has already wiped out more than 37,000 jobs in the local cable operator ecosystem.
Hathway’s numbers reflect the strain. The company reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 93 crore for FY25, down from Rs 99 crore a year earlier. Revenue inched up to Rs 2,040 crore from Rs 1,981 crore. As of December 2025, it had about 4.7 million cable TV subscribers and roughly 1.02 million broadband users.
Kapoor steps in with a familiar brief but a shrinking playbook. In a market where viewers are cutting cords faster than companies can reinvent them, the new chief executive inherits a business fighting to stay plugged in.
