Cable TV
Application of Grant Investrade for HITS licence ‘under process’: Javadekar
NEW DELHI: The application by Grant Investrade for permission to provide headend-in-the-sky services is ‘under process’, Lok Sabha was told today.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar said in reply to a question that so far only the Noida Software Technology Park Ltd (NSTPL) has the licence to operate HITS services.
Based on the recommendations of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the Government had in 2009 permitted HITS services, under which only companies registered in the country are eligible to launch the services.
Grant Investrade, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hinduja Ventures, had applied for a licence for HITS in November 2012.
Under the guidelines, it has to pay a licence fee of Rs 10 crore before it gets the HITS licence. As reported earlier by indiantelevision.com, the company has made the payment.
Grant Investrade will also have to seek two more clearances – one from the Network Operation Coordination Centre for the satellite to be used for the HITS services and second from the Wireless Planning and Coordination wing of the Ministry of Communications.
Click here to read the previous story
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.
