Cable TV
Cable in US gears up for multiple broadband services
MUMBAI: The cable industry in the US is making massive investments to upgrade a nationwide broadband infrastructure for offering new interactive digital services.
The sector has pumped in a capital expenditure of $10.13 billion in 2004, according to a report by National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA). And in the period between 1996 and mid-2005 nearly $100 billion was invested, enabling cable operators to offer multiple broadband services including digital video, high-speed Internet, Video-on-Demand (VoD) and digital voice services.
Supported by the infrastructure, the cable industry in the US is seeing a fast phase of growth. Cable’s high-speed Internet service attracted 22.2 million customers at the end of the first quarter of 2005, even as they faced stiff competition from digital subscriber line (DSL) services offered by telephone companies. Stepping up high-speed Internet access, operators are now offering downstream speeds of 5 mbps on their cable modems.
“More than one-quarter of all cable households today subscribe to cable’s high-speed data service, and among those cable households with Internet access, nearly 30 per cent are cable modem customers,” says the NCTA report.
“More than one-quarter of all cable households today subscribe to cable’s high-speed data service, and among those cable households with Internet access, nearly 30 per cent are cable modem customers,” says the NCTA report.
As value add to cable Internet, operators are also offering features like integrated security suites, pop-up blocking and spam filtering, video e-mail, and specialised content.
Digital cable customers have grown to 26 million while 3.5 million subscribers were taking telephone service from their local cable operators at the first quarter end of 2005. This included traditional circuit-switched telephone and more of Cable VoIP (Voice over Internet protocol) service. Kagan Research says VoIP subscribers increased from 587,000 in the fourth quarter of 2004 to 921,000 in the first quarter of 2005.
Broadband services are offering wide diversity in choice and personalisation. “Cable in 2005 is seeking to perpetuate those benefits by swiftly bringing to market broadband-empowered and affordable services in a consumer friendly and socially responsible way,” the report says.
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.
