Cable TV
DAS Phase III: Chhattisgarh gets two-month extension by Court
MUMBAI: Chhattisgarh has become the newest addition to the list of stayed states allowed extension by the judiciary for the Phase III deadline of Digital Addressable System (DAS).
The Chhattisgarh High Court, hearing the petition filed by Gentle Entertainment Private Limited, announced a two-month extension to complete the seeding process. The court ordered stakeholders to complete the proceedings in two months and ordered that during the process cable connections should not be discontinued.
“The court’s main concern was shortage of set top boxes and the discomfort of common people. And that is why the honourable court decided to allow the extension,” a source present in the court tells Indiantelevision.com.
The petition filed by Gentle Entertainment said, “Due to the shortage of STBs in the global market, and high demand here in India it is becoming impossible to have the adequate supply. To meet the necessary demand it will take at least two months more and hence we request the esteemed court to allow an extension of two months.”
“The question that one should ask now is, when the deadline was announced a year back why the process started so late. Are we trying to say that twelve months was not enough and we need fourteen? This leaves a bad impression on those who followed the deadline. Will the government compensate those who followed the deadline and executed things on time?” asked a senior executive from the cable fraternity.
As was reported earlier by this website, at present, the implementation remains stayed for varying periods in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Maharashtra, Orissa, Sikkim, and Telangana, apart from Tamil Nadu where prolonged legal cases have been pending since Phase I. The original deadline for DAS Phase III deadline was that of 31 December, 2015.
Moreover, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry is now planning to move the Supreme Court to club the various orders in different High Courts, which ordered extension of DAS Phase III.
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.
