Cable TV
Karnataka may face day-long cable TV blackout on 24 January
MUMBAI: Karnataka cable TV users are likely to face a blackout of TV channels on 24 January if the Karnataka State Cable Television Operators Association goes ahead with its intention to protest against the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) new tariff order. The state has 60 to 70 lakh cable channel subscribers.
The association has decided to black out cable channels across the state on January 24 from 6 am to 10 pm. According to a report in The Hindu, the channels will be switched off by the respective associations.
As quoted in the report, VS Patrick Raju, president of the association said the TRAI decision is regressive. He also added it would go against the interests of both the channel subscribers and the operators.
“TRAI has come out with the new regulations without taking operators into consideration. At present, the operators are giving 450 channels for Rs 300 and if the new rules come into place, the subscriber will end up paying Rs 1,500 for same number of channels as the channel rate ranges from Rs 1 to Rs 19. In addition, a provision has been made to charge 18 per cent. The TRAI regulation is a regressive act and new rules are introduced just to favour big corporate bodies,” he added.
Cable operators across India are going against the new regime and this Karnataka incident is not any different. Many experts in the cable industry have spoken against the TRAI formula that dictates revenue sharing model.
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.
