Cable TV
Comcast snaps up ad tech company Visible World
NEW DELHI: As predicted by several media experts almost a decade earlier, the era of mergers and acquisitions has picked up pace with the big fish often either eating the small fish or letting it co-exist in partnership.
An interesting aspect of this is that large players in the information technology and broadcasting field who can develop technologies of their own find it cheaper to enter into agreements with other companies for this. And this trend is not just confined to India, but globally.
Visible World, a specialist in the addressable and programmatic advertising business, has been bought over by Comcast Cable.
Visible World will operate as an independent company and will continue to develop new services for existing companies and grow its customer base.
“For more than a decade, we have been focused on developing a portfolio of solutions that offer a wide variety of services to a wide range of customers. Comcast’s investment in our business will accelerate our ability to deliver on our vision and provide more open and efficient systems that will encourage more valuable and collaborative relationships across the TV ecosystem,” said Visible World CEO Seth Haberman.
“Visible World is a dynamic company and a real complement to our existing advanced advertising initiatives. Visible World offers a diverse spectrum of services that serve a variety of needs across the television advertising landscape,” added Comcast Cable Executive vice president and chief network officer John Schanz.
“This partnership reflects the business and technology trends we are seeing in the television industry today. We look forward to helping the talented Visible World team expand and accelerate their business and create more value for distributors, advertisers, agencies, programmers and affiliates,” Schanz added.
The terms of the deal were not disclosed. Earlier this year, Comcast acquired Freewheel, a company that personalizes and inserts video ads for a number of media companies, for $360 million.
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.
