Cable TV
Hinduja Ventures’ HITS platform to launch in Jan 2015
NEW DELHI: The Hinduja group is all set to launch its HITS platform by January 2015. The test signals will begin by November 2014. The news was confirmed by IMCL MD and group CEO Tony D’silva to indiantelevision.com.
The new HITS entrant, which already runs a multi system operator (MSO) business InCable, received the licence on 6 March 2014 from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and has also paid the fee for it.
Grant Investrade, a 100 per cent subsidiary of Hinduja Ventures, is the company which is rolling out the HITS service. A discussion with the company chairman is around, to ensure everything is in place before January.
It is looking at capturing 15 to 20 per cent of the 120 million households in phase III and IV markets of digitisation. It has already arranged for funding of Rs 500 crore for the project.
The HITS model will have a complete different vertical, which will cater to all the content and video on demand (VOD) services requirements. “The services will be made available to all the LMOs along with IMCL,” concludes D’silva.
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.
