Cable TV
Chennai Corp sets CATV operators 31 August deadline for registration
CHENNAI: Cable TV operators are looking into the eye of the administration gun in Chennai. They have exactly a month to register themselves with the Chennai Corp. The deadline : 31 August. Registration means they have to give details about number of subscribers in each area that they have a presence in.
If they fail to do so, they would get a caning and strictures would be passed against them, says the AIADMK government. It says it is trying to regulate the Chennai CATV industry and ensure that entertainment tax is collected from CATV operators. Last year, it managed collections of just Rs 2.5 million for the entire year, when civic officials say it should be in the region of Rs 16 million per month, an estimate based on Rs 20 per month being collected from 800,000 operators in the city.
The AIADMK government had two months ago proposed a cable TV act for Tamil Nadu which would be applicable for the state. A move which had been booed by some as an attempt by Tamil Nadu megaforce Jayalalitha to break the hold that the Sun Network backed Sumangali Cable Vision (SCV) has on the Chennai public. Observers point out that the current diktat is another attempt to achieve those ends.
Jayalalalitha had in 1997 attempted to set up a master control room in Chennai but could not do so as she went out of power then. With the DMK government coming to power then, the Sun Network set up its SCV in double quick time.
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.
