Cable TV
Petition on MSO Arasu postponed to 28 January, status quo to continue
NEW DELHI: The hearing of a petition by the state owned Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV Corporation (TACTV) challenging the failure of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) to grant it provisional licence has been put off to 28 January.
The Court, which on 21 December ordered status quo on the issue relating to disconnection of TV signals transmitted by TACTV, is understood to have given time as some of the parties wanted more time to file their replies.
The status quo order had been given by Justice M M Sundresh on a plea filed by TACTV general manager K Priya seeking a direction to the Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry to grant provisional license for Digital Addressable System (DAS).
Counsel for TACTV Abdul Saleem had then submitted that pending consideration of their application of 5 July, 2012 and 23 November, 2012 for regularisation of the licence, the status quo should be maintained.
Even as it failed to give provisional licence to TACTV, the Ministry had said its signals would be disconnected if it failed to give digital signals to Phase III areas comprising municipalities and corporations by 31 December, 2015.
The “inaction on the part of the Ministry is illegal, against the due process of law and violative of Article 14 and 21 of the Constitution of India,” Saleem had contended.
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.
