Cable TV
IndiaCast issues disconnection notice to IMCL
MUMBAI: Three weeks from now, viewers with cable connection of IndusInd Media and Communications (IMCL) might not be able to view a number of channels.
IndiaCast has issued a public notice against the MSO regarding various channels of TV18, Eenadu Television and UTV Entertainment Television, for whom it acts as an agent. The notice reads that consumers in DAS notified areas of Delhi, Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Baroda, Surat, Rajkot, Nasik, Nagpur, Pune, Bengaluru, Mysore, Hyderabad, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Pimpri Chinchwad and Agra that all or some of the channels from the Indiacast group are likely to be disconnected. The notice was published in leading dailies across cities on 19 August.
The reasons for the disconnection are that the MSO has failed to execute the reference interconnection offer, not paid dues to the broadcaster, demanding illegal and high carriage fees and have failed to furnish subscriber reports.
According to a source, the agreement between IMCL and IndiaCast had expired on 31 March, post which the MSO did not execute a fresh agreement. It also stopped giving subscription revenues and subscriber report from April onwards.
IMCL currently enjoys about 2 million digital subscribers in DAS I and DAS II areas. However, the source adds that the subscriber base is not in its best operational health and is yet demanding excessive carriage fees. While the earlier deal between the two had been on carriage fees, the source adds that it is revisiting its proposition now.
The channels that will be disconnected include all of Network 18’s channels such as Colors, CNBC-TV18, CNBC Awaaz, CNN-IBN, IBN7, CNBC Bajaar, CNBC TV18 Prime HD, History TV19, History TV 18 HD, IBN Lokmat, MTV, MTV Indies, Rishtey, Nick, Vh1, Sonic, Comedy Central, Nick Junior, Colors HD, ETV Gujarati, ETV Marathi, ETV Bangla, ETV Kannada, ETV Oriya, ETV Uttar Pradesh Uttarakhand, ETV MP Chattishgarh, ETV Rajasthan, ETV Urdu, ETV News Kannada, ETV Bihar Jharkhand, ETV, ETV Andhra Pradesh, UTV Movies, UTV Stars, UTV World Movies, Disney Channel and Disney XD.
Earlier this month, the MSO had put a scroll on its home page regarding disconnection of NDTV channels. Even then, a senior NDTV official had said that the MSO was demanding high carriage fees for a small subscriber base.
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.
