Cable TV
Hathway builds brand Special, adds two service categories
MUMBAI: Hathway Digital, a leading MSO, has announced the introduction of ‘Play My Play’ – an exclusive and first-ever kind of service on television featuring full-length plays for Hathway’s theatre-loving patrons, and ‘Hare Krsna’ focused on eternal well-being by bringing out the deep learnings associated with ISKCON.
Hare Krsna will be available initially only in Maharashtra with a subsequent rollout across India. Available under the Hathway Special brand, subscribers can view Hare Krsna and Play My Play at no additional cost for the first month starting 15 June. Later, a nominal price of Rs. 40 for Play My Play and Rs. 25 for Hare Krsna will be charged on a monthly basis. Hathway Special was launched earlier in February which made Hathway the first among MSOs to launch VAS.
Play My Play will bring to Indian homes the leisure of watching over 350 of the best and never before seen plays produced and dramatised for Indian theatre. The 24×7 service will screen plays in English, Hindi, across a range of genres and will feature plays by renowned writers like Premchand, Rabindra Nath Tagore, Shakesphere, Manto in addition to popular Bollywood writers like Piyush Mishra, D P Sinha, Danish Iqbal, Badal Sarkar and many more. Khidki, Perfect Wedding, Roop Aroop, Aik Machine Kabadi Ki, Aurangzeb, and Gang of Girls are a few plays available on Play My Play.
Hare Krsna on the other hand will be catering to the spiritually inclined and focus on transformation and wellbeing of its followers. This service will feature International music festivals, documentaries, human interest stories on how ISKCON has transformed lives, the most vivid and assorted Rath-Yatras from around the world, complete recitals of the Bhagavad Gita, lessons on SATVIK cooking, Kirtans, etc. It will also have a special section dedicated to kids with animated stories on Lord Krsna.
Hathway Video Business CEO T.S. Panesar said, “The success and continued positive response we have been receiving for Hathway Special reiterates the fact that we are living up to our promise of delivering unique v-added service. With the two launches, we will be adding two categories of services under the brand. We will continue to expand our service categories.”
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.
