Cable TV
Private agency may monitor surrogate ads
MUMBAI: The ministry of information & broadcasting is seriously considering farming out the monitoring of television channels for surrogate advertising to an external agency, it has been reported.
I&B officials were quoted as saying by Hindu Businessline that “hiring an external agency was being proposed because the Government did not have the infrastructure to monitor all the channels that were being beamed into households.”
Further the report states that the inter-ministerial committee looking into the violations of the advertising code, in its second meeting a few days ago, had decided to issue show cause notices to channels displaying ads of eight liquor and cigarette brands.
The brands under scrutiny are Aristocrat Whisky, 8PM, Whitehall, Smirnoff Vodka, Haywards, Royal Challenge, Kingfisher, and Charms cigarette, the report says.
It may be recalled that a high-powered government committee headed by I&B ministry additional secretary (broadcasting) Anil Baijal, comprising mostly government officials, apart from representatives from some NGOs and the Advertising Council of India had been mandated to look into the issue of surrogate and objectionable advertisements.
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.
