Cable TV
BVITV ensures Oscars’ worldwide reach with new deals
MUMBAI: Buena Vista International Television has signed more Academy Awards deals in the Asia Pacific, Latin America and Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region. With this, BVITV has licensed the 2006 Academy Awards telecast – scheduled for 5 March – to more than 200 territories.
The new deals include HTV-7 Vietnam, which took the live telecast plus the edited international version. In its first pan-Latin American agreement with broadcaster TNT Latin America, BVITV has renewed a multiyear license of the live telecast of the ceremony and the Countdown to the Oscars 2006 hour pre-show.
Canal+ in France has renewed its license of the live telecast of the Oscars, the edited international version and Countdown to the Oscars 2006. It will also broadcast the special An Evening at the Academy Awards: The Arrivals. The Japanese pay TV broadcaster WOWOW has also renewed its multi-year deal for the live telecast, the edited international version and the pre-show special.
BVITV president Laurie Younger says, “Over the last seven years that we have licensed the show, we have more than doubled its international distribution. The suspense and glamour of the Academy Awards appeals across language and culture barriers to a wide range of viewers, and we are extremely proud to have the biggest night in entertainment as part of our programming portfolio.”
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.
