Cable TV
Casbaa holds annual elections; Fenez re-elected chairman
MUMBAI: The Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA) has announced results of 2005 Annual General Meeting elections in Singapore to the CASBAA Council of Governors, the CASBAA Board of Directors and the chairmanship for 2006-2007.
PricewaterhouseCoopers Asia Pacific head Entertainment & Media Practice Marcel Fenez is re-elected for a two-year term as chairman of the Association.
Bloomberg Television media marketing director James Ross and, Senior VP and Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific GM Ian Carroll are elected for two-year terms to the Casbaa Board of Directors.
Re-elected to the Casbaa Board are Star Group CEO Michelle Guthrie, UBC COO Francois Theron, and president and CEO of CNBC Asia Alexander Brown.
Remaining on the Casbaa Board of Directors 2006 for the second year of two-year terms are AsiaSat CEO Peter Jackson, CEO of Celestial Pictures William Pfeiffer and HBO Asia CEO Jonathan Spink, states an official release.
The following were elected to the Casbaa Council of Governors: ILS VP Asia Pacific Ted McFarland, chairman, president and CEO of Hong Kong Cable Television Stephen Ng, ESS MD Jamie Davis, Tom Group GM Corporate Development Anthony Tse.
The others elected to the Council of Governors were COO of Measat Paul Brown-Kenyon, VP and GM Asia Pacific of NDS Sue Taylor, director of Media Research at Synovate Steve Garton, MD of Loft Communications Andrew Jordan, CEO North Asia of GroupM Mark Patterson and StarHub chief operating officer Yong Lum Sung, the release adds.
Stepping down from the Casbaa Board of Directors was president of Turner International Asia Pacific Steve Marcopoto.
“CASBAA would particularly like to thank Steve for his long-term contributions to the Association during his years of service to the industry,” said Fenez. “At the same time, we will benefit greatly from the commitment of our new Board Members Ian Carroll and James Ross. And our Council of Governors continues to grow in terms of senior industry-wide representation, with new input from the research, satellite communications and software solutions sectors.”
In the past 12 months Casbaa has continued to improve its credibility as a clear voice for the industry, said Fenez. “The Association has not only published groundbreaking studies on both the benefits of effective regulation and the cost of pay-TV piracy but has significantly enhanced the dialogue with governments and regulators across the region.”
For 2006, Casbaa’s priorities will remain the fight against pay-TV piracy, the promotion pay-TV advertising and fostering industry development and new technologies across multiple markets, the organisation states in the release.
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.
