Cable TV
Media e2e ropes in Rajit Desai as VP-broadcast business applications
MUMBAI: Times Now’s Rajit Desai has joined Media e2e as vice president-broadcast business applications. He will oversee the business applications for media companies, customisation and market feedback.
In a post that has been recently introduced to the organisation, Desai will be based in Mumbai and will come under the stewardship of Media e2e chief evangelist Atul Phadnis.
“We are pleased to welcome Rajit into the Indian chapter of Media e2e. He brings in a varied and valuable expertise to spearhead critical projects within the company. It is indeed very heartening to see more and more senior professionals vindicating the vision that originally conceived Media e2e,” said a joint statement issued by Atul Phadnis and Julie Petersen, senior partners at Media e2e.
Desai’s prior experience in media industry includes heading consumer marketing and research functions for Times Now. While he started his career with HTA-Media (now Mindshare), and then moved to Sony Entertainment Television contributing to the team that won the Emvies twice for media marketer of the year. During the same period, he also helped clinch Promax World Gold for the Shiksha campaign.
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.
