Cable TV
Ortel IPO closes; goes through by a whisker
MUMBAI: It was meant to be a test of whether investors have confidence in the media – and more specifically in India’s relatively nascent cable TV sector. And the verdict is that while retail and HNI investors don’t, institutional investors definitely do.
We are referring to the Ortel Communications IPO which closed today. The regional cable TV MSO which approached the market to raise funds for its growth plans, said in a statement, quoting a Kotak Mahindra Capital spokesperson: ““The Ortel IPO has been successfully closed today. Ortel has successfully raised its entire primary capital requirement as stated in the IPO Red Herring Prospectus, along with providing partial exit to New Silk Route (NSR). The QIB segment has been fully subscribed with participation from Mutual Funds and Insurance companies.The net under subscription in the HNI and Retail segments will reduce the offer for sale component by NSR.”
Simply translated the latter part of that statement means that NSR – its private equity investor – had decided to cut back on the amount of shares it was offering to the public.
At the time the IPO commenced with the price band at Rs 181-200, 12 million shares were on offer for investors. Six million of these were coming from the NSR stable, while Ortel was issuing another six million freshly. With Kotak Mahindra Capital as the issue manager, Ortel managed to rope in Axis Mutal Fund and ICICI Prudential came in as anchor investors. Both picked up 2.55 million shares (0.9 million to Axis and 16.55 million by ICCI) for Rs 46.2 crore at the lower range of the price band.
That left about 9.45 million shares on offer to qualified instituitional bodies (QIBs) and retail/HNI investors. Bids were received for 7.12 million shares of these by day three of the issue. Thus the public offer was subscribed up to 0.75 time. Overall, 9.68 million shares, including the anchor component, were lapped up totally or 81 per cent of the issue. The QIBs totally subscribed to what was available for them.
NSR, which was making a secondary sale, decided to lop off the the shares it was selling 3.67 million, meaning only 61 per cent of its offer was subscribed. It was aiming to raise Rs 108-120 crore through the offfer.
Ortel, on its part, was was looking at raising Rs 120 crore through the fresh issue.
The Kotak Mahindra spokesperson told indiantelevision.com that the retail investors don’t really understand the potential of cable TV while institutional investors do. “Hence, the QIB portion has been totally subscribed. Ortel has managed to raise all the growth capital it needs for the next two to three years,” he said. “Hence, retail investors who missed this IPO will have to opt for secondary market purchases.”
Estimares are that Ortel would end up raising around Rs 175 crore crore through the IPO. But the final tally totted up to Rs 175 crore-odd, according to Press Trust of India reports.
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.
