Cable TV
Sumangali Cable refused licence by MIB
NEW DELHI: Kalanidhi Maran owned Sumangali Cable Vision has been asked to stop distributing signals in Chennai.
The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has asked the multi system operator (MSO) which is part of Kal Media Services founded by the Maran family, to wind up its business in 15 days.
A note on the Ministry website said Kal Media Services had been denied permission on 20 August due to denial of security clearance by the Home Ministry.
Permanent licence had earlier been issued for 10 years on 19 June 2012 for Chennai Metropolitan area and provisional given on 7 March last year for phase II cites.
It is learnt that the Ministry has asked Sumangali to run a scroll on its channels asking subscribers to switch to other MSOs.
While the Ministry refused to comment on this development, a source from Sun TV which forms part of the group denied that this had anything to do with any familial dispute between the Maran brothers.
The Ministry had last month announced that 16 MSOs which had provisional permissions had been denied permanent licences. These refused permission includes: Skynet Digital Services, Jai Maa Vaishno Entertainment, Intermedia Cable Communications, Supersonic Networks and Godfather Communications. Thus Sumangali run by Kal Media makes the seventeenth MSO denied permission.
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.
