Cable TV
Health channel Care TV off air
MUMBAI: Care TV, a health channel floated by Tanu Healthcare Ltd, has shut down transmission due to non payment of dues to VSNL. The channel had run up uplinking charges to VSNL following a dispute over a deal for the sale of the Care TV brand.
Tanu Healthcare had sold the brand and logo of the channel to Take Care TV, which ran the operations (programming, marketing and distribution of Care TV) for eight months from January 2004. But in August, Tanu served a legal notice, accusing Take Care of not paying for the acquisition of the brand. And in February 2005, the channel was off air as VSNL had not been paid uplink fees over a long period.
Take Care TV is planning to sue Tanu Healthcare for damages worth Rs 100 million, an amount which it claims it had invested towards programming, marketing and distribution of the channel. “Tanu had promised to grant us a no objection certificate for use of uplinking facility for Care TV from VSNL to Thaicom satellite. We were also assured by Tanu promoters to do all acts of support that is required to get clearance from the information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry. The payment was to be made by us, subject to these conditions. Nothing was done in this regard. We are moving the court as it is a case of fraud. We want to recover the investments made by us,” says Take Care promoter Atul Saraf.
Tanu Healthcare promoter GK Agrawal, however, dismisses Saraf’s charges. “We have initiated legal action as we did not receive the consideration amount. The promoter of Take Care has now launched a health channel,” he says.
Saraf has launched 7 Star Care after obtaining permission from the information and broadcasting ministry. The health channel is on the global beam of Thaicom and is uplinked from Bangkok.
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.
