Cable TV
Shaji Mathews appointed as Kerala MSO KCCL CEO
MUMBAI: From Gujarat, where he helped steer MSO GTPL towards its IPO, he is now headed back to his home city of Kochi in Kerala. Shaji Mathews has been appointed as the CEO of Kerala Communicators Cable Ltd (KCCL), a leading cable TV and broadband network in Kerala which is a consortium of operators who are shareholders and participate in management.
An initiative of Kerala’s independent cable operators it works under the guidance of the 4,000 member strong Cable Operators Association ( COA), the main objective of which is to develop Kerala’s cable TV sector by building wider networks, upgrading technology, finding new avenues of activity apart from addressing various issues and challenges before the industry for and on behalf of its members.
The company is led by the chairman Boobacker Siddique and managing director PP Suresh Kumar.
KCCL’s website states that these cable operators have cumulatively invested Rs 5 billion in equipment, networking, studios and other infrastructure all over Kerala. The cable operators have a consolidated turnover of Rs 2.5 billion per annum. KCCL has a network capacity of 300 SD channels and 60 HD channels, and provides 240 SD channels and 28 HD channels to its two million digital subscribers.
“KCCL has been one of the front runners in Kerala on digitisation and has received appreciation from the MIB and TRAI as well,” says Mathews. “The network derives huge strength from the dedicated team of operators who have active participation in the management. It is quite similar to the state my previous company GTPL was when I joined it four years back. While KCCL has completed its digitsation, there is a lot of scope in the area of broadband for which Kerala’s citizens have a huge appetite. My objective is to create a similar success story like GTPL with KCCL as it is poised for rapid growth going forward.”
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.
