Cable TV
Arasu gets a month’s extension to go digital
NEW DELHI: The Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV Corporation, which had been granted a provisional licence with the condition to digitise completely within three months, has now got an additional months time following a request by the state government.
The original grant period was scheduled to expire on 17 July 2017, and it is understood that TACTV had already commenced work to acquire digital STBs. However, the principal secretary of the Tamil Nadu government had, in a letter dated 6 June 2017, sought three more months.
However, in a letter sent to TACTV dated 21 June, the ministry of information and broadcasting ministry has said that the request was considered but it was decided to grant only a month’s extension.
Consequently, TACTV has been asked to complete the digitisation process by 17 August 2017 failing which the provisional the “registration may be suspended/revoked.”
Copies of the letter have been sent to the principal secretary of the Tamil Nadu IT Department, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, and the Commissioner/Superintendent of Police in Chennai.
A TACTV official, who did not want to be named, told indiantelevision.com that Arasu had already put up most of the digital head-ends and would be ready to transmit signals by mid-August.
However, the official said that the real problem lay in the availability and seeding of seven million digital set top boxes, which may take some more time.
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.
