Cable TV
Kamal Hassan plugs ‘Virumaandi’ via cable ops
MUMBAI: Master of the craft Kamal Hassan has done it again. Instead of fuming at the cable operators who supposedly take away a sizeable number of audiences from cinema halls, Hassan has created one hour special trailers on his new movie to be screened via cable television in rural Tamil Nadu.
Hassan’s latest production, Virumaandi is reaching out to villages through 200 independent channels with an average base of 30,000 viewers each. A one-hour special on the movie, including an appeal from the actor to discourage piracy, aired twice every day, is part of the deal dished out to rural Tamil Nadu through cable TV.
“Instead of treating cable TV operators as enemies, it’s better to use them as branch offices, allies and vehicles of publicity,” the filmmaker told the Hindu BusinessLine. “Cable TV could be used as a legitimate dispersal system. It’s unexploited, not unconventional. It’s just that no one thought of it before. New technology has always been received with paranoia. It’s a new way of reaching people through the most watched medium.”
The content on the show will be updated every five days via Raajkamal International which has been contracted to take the promos to the villages. Live chats and video conferences with the movie’s actors are also on the cards. Hassan also plans to have contests and prizes sponsored by local shops and establishments to increase involvement.
The promotional activity will continue through cable TV for over a month. Hassan’s company has also tied up with Media Planet, a service provider with 60 channels. Hassan also plans to set up a call centre to enable anyone from Tamil Nadu to call for home delivery of tickets, at no extra cost. Towards the end of the campaign, Hassan himself will have telechats with fans from the remotest of towns, says the newspaper.
According to the report, there are over 1,200 independent cable TV operators, of whom only 600 are registered, in Tamil Nadu. “Out of the 600, we have selected 200 and provided them with the free content. So it’s all clean,” Hassan told Businessline.
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.
