Cable TV
Cable Quest CAS seminar on Friday in Delhi
MUMBAI: Cable Quest, a cable and satellite publication, has announced a seminar CAS Myth & Reality in The Park Hotel in New Delhi on 6 June.
Indiantelevision.com is the official online media partner for this event. The one-day programme will consist of 12 sessions. The first session examines last year’s conditional Access Amendment Act. There will be a discussion on its salient features of the Act and its implications on the business of cable ops, broadcasters and the consumers.
Other critical issues that will be scrutinised during the sessions include HITS which could become a boon to small and independent operators , the implications of pay and free to air package prices, Subscriber Management Systems. The seminar will also look at the hurdles operators will face in getting the subscriber ready to accept the new technology as well as value additions that the consumer could avail of like pay-per-view and video-on-demand. The final session takes into account what the consumer feels about the whole scenario and the fears he may have.
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.
