Cable TV
Debate on cable industry in New Delhi tomorrow
The Center for Advocacy and Research (CFAR) is organising a discussion on ‘The Cable Industry and the Viewers: Setting New Norms and Standards’ tomorrow, 30 April.
The two-hour debate to be held at the Indian Women Press Corps (IWPC) office in New Delhi, plans to be the beginning of a series of interventions the centre has planned around the issue. CFAR hopes to initiate a process through which various stakeholders in the television industry come together and share their experiences and vision for the future.
Television technology has become the main concern among all its stakeholders, says CFAR. While viewers have been expressing their concern on rising subscription charges, the indifferent attitude of cable operators towards quality of service, little or no impact of digitisation on quality of images, other stakeholders (broadcasters, MSOs, cable operators and policy makers) have their own share of concerns and grievances, it notes.
As the shift from the present system to the Conditional Access System is being planned, the centre plans to initiate a process through which the stakeholders come together to find some common solutions. CFAR regularly conducts public interest research with a focus on gender and development issues, and has over the last six years, built up a consumer response to media content in the form of an audience collective called the Viewers Forum. It operates out of Delhi, Ahmedabad and Lucknow and in Nadwasarai village at Mau District in Uttar Pradesh.
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.
