Cable TV
AOL Time Warner gets first foreign cable carriage rights in China
AOL Time Warner’s China Entertainment TV (CETV) has become the first foreign TV channel to be granted cable carriage rights in mainland China. According to the agreement with the People’s Republic of China, CETV, a 24-hour Mandarin language information and entertainment channel, will be distributed to cable TV subscribers in the southern region of China from January 2002. As part of the agreement, CCTV-9, the English-language news and information channel of the China Central Television network (China’s national broadcaster) will be carried on select Time Warner Cable systems – the first time a CCTV network will be carried on a 24-hour basis on any US cable system.
Gerald M Levin, CEO of AOL Time Warner, said the reciprocal nature of the agreement means that American audiences will gain a greater understanding of Chinese culture as well as an appreciation of the immense intellect, artistry and creativity of the Chinese people.
Following AOL Time Warner’s acquisition of the channel in June 2000, CETV was re-launched in February 2001. Reaching 80 million households in Asia via AsiaSat 3S, the channel airs a combination of original Chinese CO-productions as well as specially selected programming derived from AOL Time Warner resources, a company release says.
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.
