Cable TV

So who does DAS benefit and what does RIO have to do with it?

Published

11 years ago

November 11, 2014

When the BJP government was last in power with Ms Swaraj at the helm of the MIB, the digitisation process was first mooted in its original form of CAS. The populist notion was to bring down cable prices with the false concept of pay for what you want, so pay less. But little did the government realise that the customer’s cable bill was so significantly subsidised because of ‘under declaration’ that the ‘spoilt’ consumer in the cheapest cable market in the world would either have to reduce his current offering by half or more or if he wanted the same channel line up, would actually have to pay twice as much!

At that time, the broadcasters were resentful as reduced reach was imminent in an advertising driven market and for DPOs it was definitely not favourable as they would need to reduce the number of analogue channels to piggyback digital cable on some of the frequencies which was otherwise used for analogue channels. (This was because both digital and analogue had to be offered on the same network). And this reduction of analogue channels impacted their carriage potential and hence revenues.

So who won? None of the key stake holders- broadcaster, DPO or consumer.

So who does DAS in its new avatar benefit?

Certainly not the consumer from his cable bill point which was the original populist premise. Sure, the DPOs and broadcasters, once the dust settles down. With the transparency of set top boxes and doing away with ‘under declaration’, the MSO can now collect from the ground higher revenues and hence a bigger chunk eventually to the broadcaster. (Cable revenues were significantly lower than DTH revenues even though cable homes far exceeded DTH homes.) Who else benefits? The government, for sure, by way of higher taxes.

And the losers of course in the value chain would be no doubt the consumer now shelling out higher ARPUs. And of course the LCO who till now reigned king keeping the bigger chunk of collections.
So what’s wrong with DAS?

Fundamentally, the current consumer pricing structure, the RIO rates and the business model. If DAS was to benefit the consumer why is there no B to C model, why are there no retail prices with direct offers from broadcasters to consumers with pipeline commissions to DPOs. Why are RIO rates unrealistic? Why are DPOs free to do retail pricing? The problem is RIO is a regulatory created framework and broadcasters have maxed out after years of price freeze not knowing what to expect.

If DAS has to succeed then this whole pricing scenario has to be re-looked. How can the broadcaster market his product if the DPO controls retail pricing? Or given the RIO pricing (which will now be used as a basis for negotiation) will the broadcaster really allow the DPO to play the role of a wholesaler and buy in bulk and retail at attractive customer offerings significantly lower than RIO.

When regulation hinders market dynamics, it creates more absurdities. Any consumer product needs an MRP. Packages or stand alone. RIO is definitely not helping this process. It’s best the two beneficiaries – the DPOs and the broadcasters finally come together, see eye to eye and work out what is the magical pricing so that packaging and pricing is offered by both and directly to the consumer. If the DPO truly acts as a wholesaler he can surely better any packages the broadcaster directly offers unless of course the broadcaster/channel can go it alone which no doubt will be the true test of content and certainly a success yardstick to measure addressability.

So can the government bury RIO and keep the consumer in mind! TV entertainment is mass and needs to be looked at (retailed) as a service similar to that of consumer products! Let’s have an MRP, let’s also have a distributor pricing better than MRP. There is scope for both models to co-exist- DPOs mixing it up and offering multi-broadcaster packages and broadcasters also retailing with negotiated discounts to DPOs for pipeline usage and payment gateway.

A 100 million plus pay TV homes is a very robust subscription market!

Lastly, with the BJP now back surely we hope they will complete what they chaotically started. With the honourable I&B Minister Arun Jaitley and MoS Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore now at the helm it certainly looks like MIB is priority and our industry will definitely be both in competent hands and in their cross hairs!

(These are purely personal views of consultant Sanjev Hiremath and indiantelevision.com does not necessarily subscribe to these views.)

Related Topics:BJP cable cable TV CAS DAS digitisation DPO RIO Sanjev Hiremath under declaration

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Cable TV

Den Networks Q3 profit steady despite revenue pressure

Published

4 weeks ago

January 19, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

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.

Cable TV

Plugging along as Hathway tunes in steady profits this quarter

Published

1 month ago

January 17, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: In a quarter where staying connected mattered more than moving fast, Hathway Cable and Datacom kept its signal steady. The cable and broadband major reported a net profit of Rs 21.7 crore for the December 2025 quarter, marking a clear improvement from Rs 13.6 crore a year earlier, even as pressures persisted in parts of its operating portfolio.

For the quarter ended December 31, 2025, revenue from operations stood largely flat at Rs 536.6 crore, compared with Rs 511.2 crore in the same period last year. Including other income of Rs 21.1 crore, total income rose to Rs 557.7 crore, reflecting incremental gains despite a competitive media and connectivity landscape.

Profitability improved on the back of disciplined cost control and higher contribution from associates. Profit before tax increased to Rs 28.2 crore, up from Rs 19.1 crore in Q3 FY25, aided by Rs 3.9 crore in share of profit from associates and joint ventures. After tax, earnings for the quarter climbed nearly 60 per cent year-on-year.

Over the nine months ended December 31, 2025, Hathway reported a net profit of Rs 71 crore, compared with Rs 57.7 crore in the corresponding period last year. Total income for the nine months came in at Rs 1,677.3 crore, up from Rs 1,599.8 crore, while profit before tax rose to Rs 94.7 crore from Rs 84.2 crore.

A closer look at the segments shows a familiar split story. The cable television business remained under pressure, reporting a segment loss of Rs 11.4 crore for the quarter, though this narrowed sharply from the Rs 16.6 crore loss seen a year ago. In contrast, the broadband business returned to the black, delivering a modest but positive contribution of Rs 4.2 crore, helped by associate income. Dealing in securities continued to be a bright spot, generating Rs 14.7 crore in quarterly profits.

Costs stayed broadly contained. Pay channel costs, the single largest expense, rose to Rs 287.4 crore, while depreciation and amortisation stood at Rs 74 crore. Finance costs remained negligible at Rs 0.2 crore, keeping leverage risks in check.

Hathway’s earnings per share for the quarter improved to Rs 0.12, up from Rs 0.08 a year ago. The company maintained a strong balance sheet, with total assets of Rs 5,302.4 crore and total liabilities of Rs 848.9 crore as of December 31, 2025.

While structural challenges persist in the traditional cable business, the numbers suggest Hathway is slowly recalibrating its mix trimming losses where needed, leaning on associate income, and keeping the broadband engine ticking. For now, the company may not be racing ahead, but it is clearly staying tuned in to profitability.

Cable TV

Signal drop Tejas Networks’ numbers stay patchy in a volatile quarter

Published

1 month ago

January 10, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: In telecom, even the strongest signals face interference and Tejas Networks Limited’s latest numbers show just how noisy the airwaves remain. The Tata Group-backed networking firm reported unaudited standalone revenue of Rs 305.72 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2025, up sequentially from Rs 261.37 crore in the September quarter, but sharply lower compared with the Rs 2,642.05 crore clocked in the year-ago period. The topline recovery, however, was overshadowed by a pre-tax loss of Rs 303.20 crore, widening from a Rs 473.03 crore loss in the previous quarter, and reversing a Rs 211.06 crore profit reported in the December 2024 quarter.

After tax, the company posted a loss of Rs 196.89 crore for Q3 FY26, compared with a loss of Rs 307.17 crore in Q2 FY26 and a profit of Rs 165.42 crore a year earlier. For the nine months ended December 31, 2025, Tejas Networks reported revenue of Rs 769.02 crore and a loss after tax of Rs 697.97 crore, a sharp swing from a Rs 512.67 crore profit in the corresponding nine-month period last year. The numbers reflect a year marked by execution challenges rather than demand collapse.

Costs remained the dominant spoiler. Total expenses for the December quarter stood at Rs 616.50 crore, driven by elevated material costs, employee expenses and provisioning. The company also flagged several one-offs and adjustments: a Rs 9.85 crore provision linked to the implementation of new labour codes, ₹24.35 crore in warranty provisions, and reversals related to inventory obsolescence. Earlier quarters had already absorbed heavy charges tied to contract manufacturing losses, design changes and write-downs, the hangover from which continues to weigh on profitability.

Tejas reiterated that it operates as a single reportable segment focused on telecom and data networking products and services, offering little insulation from sector-wide volatility. While revenue momentum has stabilised sequentially, the contrast with the previous financial year remains stark. For context, the company closed FY25 with audited standalone revenue of Rs 8,915.73 crore and a profit after tax of Rs 450.66 crore, underscoring how sharply the operating environment has shifted in FY26.

The results were reviewed by the audit committee and approved by the board on January 9, 2026, but they leave investors with a familiar question: when does recovery turn structural rather than episodic? For now, Tejas Networks appears to be in reset mode, balancing execution clean-up with cost discipline. In a sector where margins can be as fragile as fibre strands, the next few quarters will matter as much as the signals the company sends to the market.