Cable TV
DD revenues Rs 5860 million till January 2006
NEW DELHI: Indian TV pubcaster Doordarshan has earned revenues of Rs 5857.4 million up to 31 January 2006 as compared to Rs 6652.7 million in 2004-05 and Rs 5302.3 million in 2003-04, information and broadcasting minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi informed the Lok Sabha (Lower House) recently.
Dasmunshi further said litigation with TV producers, who owe DD money (some of them have been blacklisted too), has not affected the quality of programmes telecast by them. Doordarshan considers their proposals again after their repayment plan of outstanding dues is approved.
Dasmunshi also pointed out that Prasar Bharati, managing DD and All India Radio, cannot be compared with other private channels. It is a public service broadcaster not motivated solely by commercial considerations, he stressed.
Still, the figures do seem on the lower side considering the fact that three high profile cricket series (Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa) were aired exclusively on DD last year. When I&B ministry officials’ attention was drawn to this fact, they admitted that the Rs 5860 million only partly includes cricket revenue. The officials clarified that some part of the cricket billing do not surface in the figure given up to 31 January. All those will figure later when the financial year ends on 31 March.
8,465 DTH boxes installed free
Meanwhile, Doordarshan has so far installed 8,465 DTH units free of cost for demonstration purposes in villages in the states of Chattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, North-East region, Rajasthan
and Uttaranchal.
The government has permitted Doordarshan to raise the number of TV channels in its subscription-free DTH bouquet from 33 to 50, Dasmunshi said.
Prasar Bharati has started examining the technical and commercial feasibility to further expand the capacity of its DTH platform to cover 100 channels.
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.
