Cable TV
UP cable ops end strike to air elections
NEW DELHI: The cable operators of Uttar Pradesh have decided to call off their 10-day-long strike following the intervention of state chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav.
The move is being seen as conciliatory, as the Assembly elections in Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan were held today, and it is understood that people would be eager to follow the counting day, and watch the outcome.
While most operators across UP started showing news channels since early today, entertainment channels are expected to be shown by tonight, agency reports from Lucknow stated.
UP cable operators’ welfare association president Anil Upadhyaya said that the decision to show news channels was taken to enable the viewers watch the elections.
The breakthrough came yesterday when operators met Yadav at his official residence. The CM had reportedly assured them that their demands pertaining entertainment tax would be sorted out within a month. ”He has assured that till that time the government or the entertainment tax department would not take action against us,” Upadhyaya was quoted by agencies as saying.
While the government was seeking entertainment tax of 30 per cent, the operators were willing to pay only Rs 20 per connection to the entertainment tax department.
Earlier, there were hopes that the cable strike would be called off during prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s one-day visit to his parliamentary constituency here on 27 November. Operators in most of the 70 districts of UP had participated in the strike.
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.
