Cable TV
BBC veteran Huw Edwards signs new five year deal
MUMBAI: UK broadcaster BBC veteran Huw Edwards has signed a new five-year deal with BBC News. Under the new deal, Huw will continue to anchor the BBC’s flagship news bulletin the Ten 0’Clock News. From 10 April 2006, he will also present a slot on BBC News 24.
BBC News also announced that – from 10 April – the One O’Clock News and Six O’Clock News bulletins will join the Ten O’Clock in being simulcast on BBC News 24 and BBC One. All three of the BBC’s flagship news bulletins will then be incorporated into the BC’s rolling news channel.
BBC director of news Helen Boaden said, “Huw is an excellent and experienced journalist who brings enormous authority to BBC News. He has been a much loved part of BBC ONE’s family of presenters for several years and I am delighted that he is now including News 24 in his portfolio. This is great news for our viewers.”
BBC News 24 recently won the Royal Television Society’s News Channel of the Year award. The addition of Huw to the presenter line-up follows recent announcements that Emily Maitlis and Ben Brown are also joining the channel.
Edwards said, “This is a dream combination for me. I get to rejoin News 24 which I helped launch back in 1997, and to keep on presenting the Ten O’Clock News is an enormous privilege.”
Edwards has been presenting the Ten O’Clock News since January 2003. He joined the BBC in 1984 as a news trainee. In 1985 he joined the television newsroom in BBC Wales, and in 1986 became BBC Wales’ Parliamentary correspondent.
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.
