Cable TV
Hathway owes Rs 70 million, ESS switches off
MUMBAI: ESPN Star Sports (ESS) has discontinued services of its two channels to Hathway cable network in Delhi, Bangalore and Ludhiana due to non payment of dues.
Hathway has total outstanding worth around Rs 70 million, ESPN Software India sales and marketing vice president Sricharan Iyengar tells indiantelevision.com. “We have switched off signals in three cities, but this can extend to other areas where they are defaulting.”
The services to Asianet in Kerala are also discontinued as the dues have mounted to around Rs 25 million, adds Iyengar.
When contacted, Hathway Cable & Datacom chief executive officer K Jayaraman puts the outstanding figures as “baseless and wrong.”
The annual service agreement between ESPN Software India Pvt. Ltd. and Hathway has also expired on 30 November in Delhi. The agreement in Mumbai will expire later this month. “Despite numerous attempts and meetings, it is now apparent, judging from the demands being made by Hathway, that they are not serious about renewing the contract or showing our channels. We are left with no choice. We have discontinued services since Friday. ” says Iyengar.
In Banglore, ESS has switched off signals, alleging Hathway to have breached its contract. “Hathway is illegally supplying feed to hotels and commercial places in Bangalore,” says Iyengar.
Stressing on the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (Trai’s) recommendation that consumers can’t be charged for the channels that the cable network has dropped out, ESS has advised to deduct Rs 39.70 (the price of the ESPN and Star Sports channels) from their monthly cable payout to Hathway.
ESPN and STAR Sports will be showcasing the India-Bangladesh cricket matches and claims to have all international cricket between December and February, 2005. This will be followed by Pakistan (Videocon Cup winners) tour of Australia (world Champions) where they will play 3 Test matches and as many as 15 ODIs in a triangular series involving West Indies (ICC champions). Besides, it has the live telecast of European soccer from English, Spanish and the UEFA Champions league.
“The icing on the cake would be telecast of the inaugural ‘Premier Hockey League’ starting 13 January, 2005, and the Australian Open tennis tournament in January 05,” says Iyengar. However, ESS has no India cricket content for a long time after the Bangladesh series.
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.
