Cable TV
Indian media Rs. 837 bn by 2010: Ficci
DELHI: The Indian entertainment and media (E&M) industry is poised to grow at 19 per cent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) to reach Rs 837.4 billion by 2010 from Rs. 353 billion (Rs 35,300 crore), according to a new study.
The television segment is slated to grow from its present size of Rs 148 billion to Rs 427 billion by 2010, according to a Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry ( FICCI) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) report titled Indian Entertainment and Media Industry — Unravelling the potential.
The radio sector is projected to grow four times to Rs.12,000 million by 2010, while filmed entertainment is slated to reach Rs 153 billion during.
The print medium, according to the study is poised to grow from the present size of Rs 109 billion to Rs 195 billion.
Economic growth, rising income levels, consumerism, coupled with technological advancements and policy initiatives taken by the Indian government, which are encouraging the inflow of investment, will prove to be the key drivers for the entertainment and media industry.
The industry has been forecast to outperform the economic growth in each year till 2010.
Two factors that will contribute to the growth of the industry are low media penetration in lower socio-economic classes and low ad spends a statement quoted Deepak Kapoor, executive director of PwC and leader for the organisations Entertainment & Media Practice in India, as saying.
Today media penetration is poor in lower socio-economic classes, but efforts to increase it even slightly are likely to deliver much higher results, simply due to the absolute numbers being large, he added.
Strong economic growth, rising consumer spending and regulatory corrections are drawing foreign investments in most segments of the E&M industry, especially the print media.
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.
