Cable TV
Dish Network Q1-2015 revenue up 5.3%; income doubles despite losing subscribers
BENGALURU: US subscription Pay TV service company Dish Network Corporation reported 5.3 per cent growth in revenue for the quarter ended 31 March, 2015 (Current quarter, Q1-2015) at $3724.23 million as compared to the $3594.20 million in the corresponding year ago quarter.
Dish Network’s income almost doubled (up 99.8 per cent) to $358.49 million in the current quarter as compared to the $175.93 million in Q1-2014. Consequently diluted earnings per share (diluted EPS) doubled to $0.76 from $0.38.
The company activated approximately 554,000 gross new Pay-TV subscribers compared to approximately 639,000 gross new Pay-TV subscribers in the prior year’s first quarter. Net Pay-TV subscribers declined by approximately 134,000 or 21.8 per cent in Q1-2015. The company closed the current quarter with 13.844 million Pay-TV subscribers, compared to 14.097 million Pay-TV subscribers in Q1-2014.
Pay-TV ARPU (average revenue per user) for the first quarter totalled $86.01, 4.4 per cent higher as compared to Q1-2014 Pay-TV ARPU of $82.36. The company reveals that Pay-TV subscriber churn rate was higher at 1.65 per cent versus 1.42 per cent for Q1-2014.
Higher ARPU meant that subscriber revenue increased 3.7 per cent to $3688.92 million in Q1-2015 from $3556.19 million in the previous year. Equipment related revenue was almost flat at $22.47 million in Q1-2015 as compared to the $22.24 million in the corresponding quarter of last year. Echo Star revenue (Equipment sales, services and other revenue) declined 18.6 per cent in Q1-2015 to $12.84 million as compared to the $15.77 million in Q1-2014.
Subscriber related expenses rose 4.5 per cent to $2162.77 million in Q1-2015 from $2069.13 million in the corresponding year ago quarter. Satellite and transmission costs in the current quarter rose 25 per cent to $186.84 million from $149.5 million in Q1-2014. Subscriber acquisition cost declined 11.6 per cent to $396.92 million in Q1-2015 as compared to $449.15 million in the year ago quarter.
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.
