Cable TV
Dish TV, Hathway move to ‘overweight’: Morgan Stanley
MUMBAI: Brokerage firm Morgan Stanley has some good news in store for direct to home (DTH) player Dish TV and multi system operator (MSO) Hathway Cable & Datacom. The firm has upgraded both Hathway and Dish TV to ‘overweight’, while also raising their target price, that represents an upside of 37 per cent and 20 per cent respectively, over the next 12 months.
As per an Economic Times report, Morgan Stanley has downgraded Zee Entertainment to ‘equal weight’ with downside of 10 per cent. “Zee outperformed Hathway and Dish by 12 per cent and 24 per cent, respectively, in 2014 as they believe that a large part of the potential improvement in subscriptions for Zee is in the price,” said the report.
While upgrading Dish TV from ‘underweight’ to ‘overweight’, the target price of the DTH platform has been raised from Rs 49 to Rs 82. Not only this, Hathway has been upgraded from ‘equalweight’ to ‘overweight’, with a current target price of Rs 91 from Rs 59.
According to the brokerage firm, there is a sense of urgency on monetisation by the MSOs, which can push up realisations for both Hathway and Dish TV.
“MSOs were unable to effect any sizeable improvements in realisations in 2014. However, the push from broadcasters to improve their subscription share has forced MSOs’ hands,” added the media report.
As per Morgan Stanley channel checks, MSOs are responding by introducing higher value packs, raising prices and moving to a prepaid model.
The firm expects these efforts to boost realisations for MSOs and create headroom for Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) expansion for DTH.
While an improving macro-economic outlook can help lift TV ad spending, margins could remain muted in F2016 for Zee due to new launches. Hence, Morgan Stanley prefers Hathway Cable followed by Dish TV and then Zee Entertainment Ltd.
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.
