Cable TV
Bengal Broadband to offer cable TV & broadband services in W Bengal
MUMBAI: Here’s another cable TV consortium looking to provide digital cable TV and broadband services to eastern state of Kolkata. Under the umbrella of Bengal Broadband & Cable TV Services, the MSO is focusing its operations on Kolkata, North and South 24 Parganas, Burdwan, Birbhum, Nadia and Murshidabad markets.
Promoted by four cable operators as its directors Surendra Kumar Sancheti, Mrinal Chatterjee, Avit Sinha and Sagar Sengupta, the company launched its services in Kolkata last week. Said managing director Mrinal Chatterjee at the time of the launch: “DTH operators have been capturing the market bypassing us. Other MSOs have also making it hard for local cable operators to function. Our business has suffered after digitisation and therefore to secure our future we are launching our digital services.”
Bengal Broadband will come head-to-head in competition with well-established national and regional MSOs such as Siti Networks, GTPL, Manthan and Hathway.
Chatterjee however believes there is opportunity for more players as Phase IV digitization has been progressing very slowly and a huge number of set top boxes are needed to move it forward. And the deadline of 31 March 2017 does not perturb the new MSO at all. Said he: “Within March, we will capture a sizable market share.”
The MSO will be targeting Phase I, II, III and IV areas of the state and will offer both analogue and digital services including HD channels. The plan is to also migrate to broadband delivery in the not too distant future.
Bengal Broadband has been signing on both subscribers and other local cable TV operators as its partners.
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.
