Cable TV
Siticable Kolkata to launch ‘SitiBroadband’
KOLKATA: The average revenue per user (ARPU) of cable operators can go up only with introduction of additional services. This has been stated enough and more time for the multi system operators to take note of and move in the direction.
One such MSO is Siticable Network that has decided to strengthen its broadband and value added services (VAS) offering to its consumers. The network will soon launch ‘SitiBroadband’ service in West Bengal.
Siticable currently has a cable customer base of around 12.5 lakh in the state. The MSO hopes to convert at least 10 per cent of this consumer base to ‘SitiBroadband’ service users. And to woo these consumers, Siticable will provide a combo pack and a value addition pack in the first year of the launch of the service.
“We have already invested in broadband. We are working on the price and package modality. In a digital addressable era, broadband and VAS will become an important differentiated offering,” says Siticable Kolkata director Suresh Sethiya.
“We are upbeat about our penetration and growth in West Bengal as our combo pack will be a value addition,” he adds.
Sethiya is enthusiastic about the new offering and hopes to develop it as a second major revenue source after it moved into the new digital regime where it has more direct control over the last mile customer. “We can now explain the consumers about the new service easily,” he opines.
Kolkata based cable TV analyst Namit Dave feels that broadband and value-added services will get a major boost as the country advances towards the completion of digitisation. “MSOs will roll out different packages on a vast scale going forward,” says he.
For another city based analyst broadband is a promising business. “It needs less investment while promising higher revenue, Siticable is set for a new high,” he says optimistically.
As reported earlier by indiantelevision.com, Siticable, as part of enhancing its VAS offering to consumers, is also exploring opportunities to release regional movies on cable TV before they are released in the theatres to generate more revenue.
Sethiya confirms that they are in talks with producers for premiere shows of regional movies on its cable channel as part of value added services. “These services can be implemented once the billing process is properly executed, which could take around six months to complete,” signs off Sethiya.
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.
