Cable TV
CATV Act CAS Amendment fails to clear Rajya Sabha hurdle; ordinance Swaraj’s next option?
The Cable TV Networks (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2002 could not be passed by the Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Parliament) today. The reason: lack of time.
It now appears likely that information and broadcasting minister Sushma Swaraj, who has almost singelhandedly carried the bill this distance through Parliament, will push through the legislative change through an ordinance (executive order) after Parliament takes a break.
Tuesday’s terrorist attack in the Jammu region of the strife-torn state of Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed 34 lives, and how the government should respond to it, took up the whole day’s business. The debate on the issue was still going on when the house adjourned.
The amendments to the Act were passed in the Lok Sabha (Lower House) on Wednesday through a voice vote after a marathon discussion which lasted over three hours.
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.
