Cable TV
Rob Lowe, Mary-Louise Parker, Marlee Matlin, Timothy Busfield and Annabeth Gish
MUMBAI: The final episodes of US broadcaster NBC’s presidential drama The West Wing will see many familiar faces return to see the Emmy Award-winning series off.
Rob Lowe, Mary-Louise Parker, Marlee Matlin, Timothy Busfield and Annabeth Gish among others will return to the drama to reprise their characters in one or more of the final episodes – but all will not specifically appear in the finale on 14 May.
Lowe will come back to serve as a senior political official. The season-long presidential race between Senator Adam Vinick (Alan Alda) and Congressman Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits) will be decided before Lowe’s return.
From the drama’s inception in 1999 until 2003, Lowe portrayed Seaborn, a deputy communications director who left to run for Congress in California. For his performance as Seaborn, he earned an Emmy nomination in 2001.
Oscar winner Matlin reprises polling expert Joey Lucas. Busfield comes back as intense reporter Danny Concannon; and Gish will portray Elizabeth Bartlet Westin, the married daughter of President Bartlet (Martin Sheen).
The West Wing holds the record for most Emmys won by a series in a single season (its first). Other awards include a Peabody Award for excellence in Television, five Golden Globe nominations and one Golden Globe Award for Best Drama Series, and three Television Critics Association Awards.
Cable TV
Den Networks Q3 profit steady despite revenue pressure
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.








