Cable TV
GTPL Hathway beams nationwide with satellite play
AHMEDABAD: GTPL Hathway has fired up GTPL Infinity, a satellite-based broadcasting system designed to fling digital television signals across every corner of India. The platform, powered by one of the world’s largest C-band teleport setups in Ahmedabad, promises to deliver around 800 channels—including 100 in high definition—to partners who can go live in as little as 24 hours with just a dish antenna and minimal kit.
The move transforms India’s largest digital cable television provider into a nationwide player. By piggybacking on satellite infrastructure from PT Telkomsat of Indonesia, GTPL Hathway can now bypass the expensive business of laying cables and instead drop signals from the sky. That means faster rollouts, lower costs and access to remote villages that traditional cable networks never bothered reaching.
For local operators, the pitch is simple: plug in, switch on, sell subscriptions. The satellite delivery promises rock-solid uptime whilst the standardised equipment keeps maintenance bills low. Partners can bundle in broadband, streaming services and cloud gaming alongside traditional television—a convergence play aimed at subscribers who want everything through one pipe.
GTPL managing director Anirudhsinh Jadeja calls it a “national enabler for digital equity.” The real prize, though, is commercial. GTPL Infinity opens fresh revenue streams through content partnerships and lets the company crack markets where its cable network doesn’t reach. With 9.5m active cable subscribers and 1.05m broadband customers already on the books, the satellite platform gives GTPL Hathway the infrastructure to chase tens of millions more.
VMCLLP managing partner and PT Telkomsat’s man in India Vishal Mathur reckons the partnership will reshape broadcasting in rural and semi-urban India. Whether it reshapes GTPL Hathway’s bottom line as dramatically as its geographic footprint remains to be seen. But the satellite is up, the transponders are humming, and India’s cable king is betting big on beaming down from above.
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.
