Cable TV
Diddy inks reality cooking show deal with NBC
MUMABI: Hip-hop mogul, Sean “Diddy” Combs and Reville’s Ben Silverman will bring to NBC a five-night reality mini-series, Celebrity Cooking Showdown, taking elements from the Food Network’s Iron Chef America and ABC’s Dancing With the Stars.
The series will air 17 to 21 April. Celebrity Cooking Showdown is produced by Reveille in association with Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Bad Boy Entertainment.
It will match three celebrity chefs to train side-by-side with nine celebrities. After one-on-one coaching, the competition will play out in real time in front of a live studio audience as the stars race against the clock to complete their meal.
NBC Entertainment president Kevin Reilly said, “Celebrity Cooking Showdown is going to be a unique, high-energy take on the time-tested cooking genre that works consistently across the television landscape. It’s about great food, terrific personalities and big-time pressure.”
Executive producer and Reveille CEO Silverman added, “Cooking shows have commanded huge ratings around the world, and we can’t wait to bring this exciting new competitive format to primetime network TV.”
The celebrity chefs include Wolfgang Puck, Cat Cora (Food Network’s Iron Chef America) and Govind Armstrong (Table 8, Los Angeles). Names of several celebrities signing on will be announced later this week.
“The hottest trend right now is the art of cooking. Celebrities competing in the high-pressure arena of the world’s top chefs will make great television,” said Combs.
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.
