DTH
Dish TV threatens IndiaCast with legal action
MUMBAI: The Dish TV vs IndiaCast battle has just taken an ugly turn. India’s oldest DTH operator has fired a salvo at the aggregator by issuing a statement that claims that it has issued a legal notice to it for “the false and malafide advertisement that it issued today.”
It has asked IndiaCast to cease and desist from “spreading false and malafide information” regarding channels on DishTV.
“All necessary steps including criminal and civil actions against Indiacast UTV and its functionaries are being contemplated,” says a Dish TV spokesperson.
However, an IndiaCast spokesperson said that they haven’t yet received any notice from Dish TV.
Readers may recollect that leading Indian newspapers today carried a public notice from IndiaCast stating that channels it distributes might be discontinued from Dish TV subscribers’ packages from 1 January and replaced with movies on demand unless customers message or call the DTH operator clearly saying they wanted to continue receiving them. The ads asked them to call up Dish TV or in the alternative subscribe to another cable TV or DTH service. Promos along the same lines have also been running on all the IndiaCast channels.
IndiaCast had issued the ad keeping in mind that DishTV is running an “on-request channel” campaign which will see channels being unsubscribed unless subscribers opt for them. The DTH operator is also rewarding subscribers with points if they choose to unsubscribe from IndiaCast channels which they can use to watch movies.
The channels that are mentioned in the IndiaCast notice include: Colors, CNBC TV 18, MTV, CNN IBN, Bindass, Nick, IBN7, CNBC Awaaz, UTV Movies, History TV, Disney, Hungama, Sonic, Disney XD, UTV Action, Comedy Central, VH1, UTV World Movies, Nick Jr, Disney Junior and IBN Lokmat.
DTH
GTPL Hathway posts FY26 revenue growth, Q4 slips into loss
Annual profit at Rs 5.88 crore; Q4 loss at Rs 5.90 crore
MUMBAI: A strong year met a shaky finish as GTPL Hathway closed FY26 on a high note only to stumble at the final hurdle. The company’s latest financials reveal a tale of two timelines: steady annual growth alongside a fourth-quarter dip that nudged it into the red. GTPL Hathway Limited reported total income of Rs 2,472.46 crore for the year ended March 31, 2026, marking a clear rise from Rs 2,223.00 crore in FY25. Revenue from operations stood at Rs 2,450.78 crore, up from Rs 2,193.38 crore a year ago, signalling consistent traction in its core cable TV and broadband business.
Yet, beneath the annual growth narrative, the March quarter told a different story. The company posted a net loss of Rs 5.90 crore in Q4 FY26, a sharp reversal from a profit of Rs 0.91 crore in the preceding quarter and Rs 8.15 crore in the same period last year. Total income for the quarter came in at Rs 618.46 crore, largely flat sequentially but higher than Rs 569.33 crore reported a year earlier.
The pressure was visible across the cost structure. Total expenses for the quarter rose to Rs 620.64 crore, marginally exceeding income and tipping the company into a loss before tax of Rs 7.87 crore. This compares with a profit before tax of Rs 1.22 crore in the December quarter and Rs 11.32 crore in Q4 FY25.
For the full year, however, profitability held firm. GTPL reported a net profit of Rs 5.88 crore in FY26, significantly lower than Rs 47.80 crore in FY25, but still in positive territory despite higher finance costs and operating expenses. Operating expenses alone climbed to Rs 1,884.53 crore for the year, up from Rs 1,603.53 crore, reflecting the increasing cost of running and scaling network infrastructure.
Finance costs also rose notably to Rs 33.57 crore in FY26 from Rs 22.19 crore in FY25, while depreciation and amortisation expenses stood at Rs 189.19 crore, underlining continued investments in assets and technology. Employee benefit expenses, however, declined to Rs 63.42 crore from Rs 77.08 crore, offering some relief on the cost front.
An exceptional item of Rs 5.69 crore during the year also weighed on profitability, compared with Rs 3.79 crore in the previous year. Meanwhile, tax adjustments, including deferred tax movements and prior-year adjustments, played a role in shaping the final earnings outcome.
Despite the quarterly wobble, the broader picture suggests a company still expanding its top line while grappling with margin pressures. With paid-up equity share capital unchanged at Rs 112.46 crore, the focus now shifts to whether GTPL can convert its revenue momentum into more stable, sustainable profitability in the coming quarters.
In short, FY26 may have delivered growth on paper but the closing chapter serves as a reminder that in business, as in broadband, consistency is everything.
