ITV

Tag: Hathway Cable & Datacom

  • Hathway tunes up profits as broadband beams bright, but cable remains a drag

    Hathway tunes up profits as broadband beams bright, but cable remains a drag

    MUMBAI: Hathway Cable and Datacom has wrapped FY25 with a cautiously upbeat tune, posting a consolidated profit of Rs 92.5 crore—a modest dip from Rs 99.3 crore in FY24. But if you zoom into the latest quarter, Q4 was anything but quiet.

    Revenue for the fourth quarter stood at Rs 513.2 crore, up four per cent from Rs 493.4 crore a year ago. Total income rose to Rs 546.6 crore in Q4 FY25, compared to Rs 533.6 crore in Q4 FY24. Net profit came in flat at Rs 34.8 crore, nearly mirroring last year’s Rs 34.6 crore.

    But the real tempo change came in the mix: other income more than doubled to Rs 33.4 crore from Rs 16 crore last quarter, while expenses remained tightly controlled, nudging up just three per cent year-on-year. EPS for the quarter held at Rs 0.20.

    Segment-wise, broadband held its line with Rs 149 crore in revenue, while cable TV brought in Rs 346 crore, both marginally higher year-on-year. Yet cable continued its loss-making streak, clocking a Q4 segment loss of Rs 12.4 crore. Broadband barely eked out a Q4 profit at Rs 0.9 crore.

    Total consolidated income for FY25 hit Rs 2,146 crore, inching up from Rs 2,119 crore in FY24. Broadband revenue came in at Rs 602 crore, down slightly from Rs 623 crore. Cable TV, however, crept up to Rs 1,372 crore from Rs 1,349 crore.

    The broadband division’s yearly profit fell to Rs 9.9 crore from Rs 31.9 crore. Cable TV slumped deeper, posting a Rs 61.5 crore loss, widening from Rs 47 crore in FY24.

    The surprise chartbuster? Hathway’s securities trading segment, which ballooned to Rs 85.5 crore from a humble Rs 8.9 crore. Other income also stayed generous at Rs 106.7 crore. These non-core wins helped keep overall profitability in the black.

    Total assets rose to Rs 5,121 crore from Rs 4,963 crore, while equity expanded to Rs 4,384 crore. Borrowings and lease liabilities slimmed down, giving the balance sheet a cleaner look.

    However, a lingering cloud remains: a Rs 3,201 crore demand from the Department of Telecommunications for unpaid licence fees. The company, backed by legal advice, continues to contest the demand and has made no provision.

    With cable still bleeding, broadband levelling off, and securities surprisingly saving the day, Hathway’s FY25 tune is part resilience, part remix. Whether the beat goes on in FY26 depends on plugging operational leaks and finding new hits in its digital playbook

  • Naval Pandya plugs In at You Broadband, eyes national network expansion

    Naval Pandya plugs In at You Broadband, eyes national network expansion

    MUMBAI: Naval Pandya, a seasoned telecom executive, has joined You Broadband India  as vice president of network alliance, tasked with turbocharging the company’s national broadband expansion. After a 13-year stint at GTPL Hathway, Pandya is set to leverage his extensive experience to forge strategic partnerships and broaden You Broadband’s footprint.

    Pandya, who officially plugged into his new role in April 2025, brings over two decades of industry expertise to the table. His LinkedIn post expressed enthusiasm for “building on that journey by strengthening our last-mile access and creating broadband-ready homes across the country.”

    You Broadband, in a statement, highlighted Pandya’s “more than 22 years of industry experience,” and expressed confidence that his “leadership and drive will contribute significantly to our goals on expanding the operator business.”

    Prior to You Broadband, Pandya served as vice president of broadband sales & operations at GTPL Hathway, where he oversaw customer lifecycle management, P&L management, and growth strategies. His resume also includes roles at Den Networks, Hathway Cable & Datacom, Bharti Airtel, Tata Communications, and You Telecom India.

    Pandya’s track record spans cable TV operations, broadband sales, and institutional sales, positioning him to drive You Broadband’s ambitions in a rapidly evolving market. He arrives at You Broadband with a wealth of experience in the Indian broadband and cable sectors.

  • Hathway Cable cuts cord with Patiala venture in Rs 25 lakh deal

    Hathway Cable cuts cord with Patiala venture in Rs 25 lakh deal

    MUMBAI: Cable TV MSO and broadband provider Hathway Cable &  Datacom Ltd has flogged its entire 49 per cent stake in Hathway Patiala Cable Pvt Ltd for a cool Rs 25,00,000, the company announced on 24 March.

    The broadband behemoth completed the share transfer around 4:00 p.m. (IST), washing its hands of the Patiala operation by selling 71,175 equity shares to Jujhar Constructions & Travels Pvt Ltd.

    “The investment in Hathway Patiala was passive investment and had no contribution to the consolidated turnover and net worth of the Company for the FY2023-24,” the firm declared in its regulatory filing.

    Jujhar Constructions, a real estate and transportation outfit incorporated under the Companies Act, 1956, already has ties to Hathway Patiala through its director and shareholder Gurdeep Singh. Singh, who has been pulling strings at Hathway Patiala, will now see his firm take complete control of the cable operation.

    The cable giant was quick to note that Jujhar has no connection to Hathway’s promoter groups or other affiliated companies, maintaining that the transaction doesn’t constitute a related party deal.

    For Hathway, this move appears to be less about cutting losses and more about trimming the fat from its extensive cable empire, with the Patiala operation apparently contributing nothing to the company’s bottom line last financial year.

    The transaction was promptly reported to regulators under disclosure requirements of the Securities and Exchange Board of India.

  • Hathway Bhawani Cabletel reports quarterly loss amid declining revenues

    Hathway Bhawani Cabletel reports quarterly loss amid declining revenues

    MUMBAI: It’s a small MSO in the eastern part of Mumbai and covers the area of Chembur. But Hathay Bhawani Cabletel is  an off shoot of Hathway & Cable Datcom, which is a national MSO and is a part of Reliance Industries.

    The company  reported financial results for the quarter and nine months ended 31 December 2024, revealing declining revenues and a shift from profitability to losses compared to the previous year.

    Q3 Financial Performance (October-December 2024)
    * Total Income: Rs 59.57 lakh, down 12 per cent  from Rs 67.92 lakh in Q3 FY 2023.
    * Total Expenses: Rs 65.25 lakh, up 21 per cent from Rs 53.89 lakh in Q3 FY 2023.
    * Net Loss: Rs 5.68 lakh, compared to a profit of Rs 4.03 lakh in the same quarter last year.

    The decline in income and significant rise in expenses contributed to the company’s unfavorable quarterly performance, highlighting operational inefficiencies and increased cost pressures.

    Nine-Month Financial Performance (April-December 2024)
    * Total Income: Rs 181 lakh, a 12 per cent decline from Rs 206.25 lakh during the same period in 2023.
    * Total Expenses: Rs 203.20 lakh, a slight reduction from Rs 205.66 lakh in the prior year.
    * Net Loss: Rs 22.20 lakh, compared to a modest profit of Rs 59,000 during the nine months ended December 2023.

    The income contraction coupled with sustained high expenses reversed the profitability recorded in the previous year.

  • Sony Pictures Networks India hires southern market expert Rajaraman Sundaram as head content strategy

    Sony Pictures Networks India hires southern market expert Rajaraman Sundaram as head content strategy

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks India or Culver Max Entertainment has hired veteran television executive Rajaraman Sundaram as head content strategy. One wonders what one should read into this hire by CEO Gaurav Banerjee.

    Rajaraman has had deep exposure to the southern markets having worked at Vijay Television for almost 11 years in two phases January 2011-March 2006 and April 2009-January 2015. On both occasions, he was in the finance department.

    He was  given charge  of Asianet between December 2017 and September 2021 first as executive vice-president strategy (south) and then as business head. He was given the responsibility of Colors (Tamil) between September 2021 and July 2023.

    Rajaraman was then lured back to Disney Star India to work in the country manager India’s office between August 2023 and November 2024.  In between, the qualified chartered accountant worked with NDTV Imagine for two years (May 2007-April 2009) as vice-president finance. Then he had a stint at Hathway Cable & Datacom as chief operating officer -video business between April 2015 and December 2017.

    A question that needs answering is: in his new role, has Rajaraman been hired  to take Sony into the southern regional language market? Or is he being brought in to help Gaurav Banerjee  build the fictional slate of Sony Entertainment Television?  

    Gaurav Banerjee  and his core management team know it. And he is not telling. As yet. 

  • Hathway Cable & Datacom acquires 61.15 per cent shares of its Nanded subsidiary

    Hathway Cable & Datacom acquires 61.15 per cent shares of its Nanded subsidiary

    MUMBAI: It’s acquisition  and consolidation time in cable TV land. Multisystem operator Hathway Cable & Datacom informed the BSE on 27 November 2024 that it had acquired the balance 61.15 per cent  equity stake ( 20,54,832)  equity shares from the existing shareholders (including Hathway MCN Pvt Ltd  – a Hathway offshoot) of Hathway Cable MCN Nanded Pvt Ltd  (“Hathway Nanded”), a subsidiary of the company for an aggregate cash consideration of Rs. 11 (Rupees eleven only). 

    The acquisition of equity shares is for consolidation of business operations. Post-acquisition, Hathway Nanded has now become a wholly owned subsidiary of Hathway Cable & Datacom.  

    Hathway Nanded, incorporated in India on 11 March 2008, runs cable TV operations and has a presence in Nanded, Maharashtra. It had a turnover of Rs 5.58 crore in FY 2023-2024, Rs 7.08 crore in FY 2022-2023 and Rs 8.79 crore in FY 2021-2022.  

    It informed the stock exchange that one of the transferors (out of eleven), namely  Hathway MCN Pvt Ltd, is a related party of Hathway Cable  and the acquisition is on an arm’s length basis. None of the company’s promoter / promoter group / other group companies have any interest in the above transaction.  No governmental or regulatory approvals were required for the acquisition.

     

  • Hathway Cable Q2 FY2025: Revenues rise, profits too

    Hathway Cable Q2 FY2025: Revenues rise, profits too

    MUMBAI: The cable TV sector is under pressure in India is known to many and  a lot has been written about the rampant cord cutters and cord-nevers. But this is one multisystem operator which seems to be bucking the trend – the Reliance Industries-owned Hathway Cable & Datacom. 

    At least that’s the first perception you get when you look at its financials for Q2FY2025 ended 30 September 2024, which were filed with the Bombay stock exchange on 11 October.

    Revenue from operations is up to Rs 5127.4 million as against Rs 4837.9 million in the previous year’s corresponding quarter. Profit before tax  is at Rs 398.8 million compared to Rs 339.3 million (Q2 FY 2024). Net profit too has  risen to Rs 257.8 million (Rs 200.3 million) a 28.4 per cent increase. EBITDA during the quarter showed a bit of an uptick at Rs 859.9 million (Rs 826.3 million).

    The company’s revenue from the broadband business for H1 FY2025 ended 30 September has slipped to Rs 3027.8 million (Rs  3132.2 million), even as it has risen for its cable TV business to  Rs 6801.5 million (Rs 6698 million).

    On a quarterly basis for Q2 FY2025  there has been a drop in its broadband revenues to Rs 1515.9 million (Rs 1564.6 million in Q2FY 2024) while cable TV has shown an increase to Rs 3440.1 million (Rs 3273.3 million). However, margins seem to be getting squeezed in both these segments with its cable TV business turning up negative segment results at Rs 143.2 million (negative Rs 138.1 million in Q2 FY2024). Its broadband segment too has reported  lower results  at Rs 56 million (Rs  115.8 million). 

     

    Picture courtesy Hathway Cable & Datacom Annual Report
     

  • Airtel ecstatic about home broadband opportunity; collab with local cable operators paying well

    Airtel ecstatic about home broadband opportunity; collab with local cable operators paying well

    MUMBAI: A recent report by Fitch which indicates a slow revenue growth in FY21 for telecom players might be bad news for Airtel, which is already losing market shares to Jio. But its home broadband business is gradually taking off. In the last quarter of FY 20, the telco operator added almost 60,000-65,000 net additions, one of the highest numbers it has seen in many quarters. Moreover, the lockdown has boosted the demand for home broadband.

    “We are excited about the home broadband opportunity. I think India is an underserved market and there is a very big opportunity to expand broadband on a structural basis. Having said that, I think what we have seen in the recent few weeks is a massive surge in latent demand and home broadband,” Bharti Airtel India and South Asia managing director and chief executive officer Gopal Vittal said in an earnings call.

    Vittal also spoke about an innovative model that it is experimenting with: collaborating with local cable operators to provide the last mile and using a digital model to access more cities and expand the scale of its broadband business. While the model has already been rolled out in 13 cities, he claims it has seen good traction reinforcing its trust on opportunities for broadband internal expansion.

    Talking about the strategy, Vittal added that they need to expand a lot more in top ten cities at first. Hence, there will be some step-up in capex directed to expanding Airtel’s broadband in these large cities. Airtel rolled out over 250,000 home parcels in the last quarter while total capex for the quarter stood at Rs 97 crore.

    “The second part is going beyond 10 cities or 50 cities. We got into smaller cities. For example, we have gone into Jammu, Dehradun, Bareilly, and Nasik. These are cities where we hadn't gone before and now have partnered with local cable operators and created an Uber-like model, which is entirely digital and gives them a share of revenue and this is actually working quite well,” Vittal said.

    “We are unleashing entrepreneurial energy of these cable operators, in managing the last mile for us, and at the same time, we have the Airtel brand, customer support, billing systems, technology and of course the purchase of routers and all of the other backend equipment coupled with the fact that we have fibre availability at the towers for which the backhaul is available. So I think we are using the best of both worlds to actually partner and expand,” he added further.

    According to TRAI data, the top five wired broadband service providers were BSNL (8.23 million), Bharti Airtel (2.43 million), Atria Convergence Technologies (1.54 million), Hathway Cable & Datacom (0.92 million) and Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd (0.84 million) as on 31 January, 2020.

    Bharti Airtel India and South Asia chief financial officer Badal Bagri said that affordability has been one of the key drivers which he terms war on waste. This ‘war on waste’ is not just about operating expenses but also about efficiency and capital expenditure. He also mentioned that Airtel’s cost of the rollout of home passes has substantially reduced over the last two-three years. Hence, he is of the view that the cost structures which it operates in are fairly affordable, enabling them for an aggressive bid in the sector.

  • Broadband subscriber growth picks up in October 2019

    Broadband subscriber growth picks up in October 2019

    BENGALURU: Overall broadband internet subscribers in India grew by 1.866 crore or 2.98 per cent  in the month ended 31 October 2019 (Oct-19) from the numbers reported by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India for the month ended 30 September 2019 (Sep-19). TRAI reported 62.542 crore (625.42 million or 6,254.2 lakh) broadband internet subscribers across all segments for Sep-19. This number grew to 64.408 crore (644.08 million or 6,440.8 lakh) in Oct-19 as per the latest numbers published by Trai.

    Subscriber growth for Oct-19 was the third highest over a 22-month period starting Jan-18 until Oct-19 in absolute numbers. In percentage terms, Oct-19 saw the ninth highest growth during the same period. Over the period under consideration in the paper, broadband internet subscriber growth has been on a decline as is evident from the black trend line the graph below:

    The figure below shows the subscriber growth ranking for the months during the period under consideration in this paper in terms of absolute growth numbers as well as per centage terms.

    Trai data reveals that broadband subscribers grew by 1.857 crore (18.57 million or 185.7 lakh) or 3.06 per cent to 62.441 crore in Oct-19 from 60.584 crore (605.84 million or 6,054.8 lakh) in Sep-19 on the Mobiles (Phones and dongles) segment. Wired broadband internet segment grew by 0.007 crore (0.07 million or 0.07 lakh) or 0.37 per cent in Oct-19 to 1.908 crore(19.08 million or 190.8 lakh) from 1.901 crore (19.01 million or 190.1 lakh) in Sep-19. Fixed wireless – WiFi, WiMax, Point to Pont, Radio, Vsat subscribers grew 0.002 crore (0.02 million or 0.2 lakh) or 4.22 per cent to 0.059 crore (0.59 million or 5.9 lakh) in Oct-19 from 0.057 crore (0.57 million or 5.7 lakh) in the previous month.

    Please refer to the figure below.

    Top 5 Broadband Internet Subscribers

    According to Trai data, the top five broadband internet service providers constituted 98.98 per cent market share of the total broadband subscribers at the end of Oct-19. These service providers were Reliance JioInfocom Ltd 36.512 crore (365.12 million or 3,651.2 lakh), Bharti Airtel 13.286 crore (132.86 million or 1,328.6 lakh), Vodafone Idea 11.580 crore (115.80 million or 1,158 lakh), BSNL 2.27 crore (22.27 million or 2,227 lakh) and Atria Convergence 0.149 crore (1.49 million or 14.9 lakh).

    Top 5 wireless broadband internet subscribers

    As on 31 October, 2019, the top five wireless broadband service providers were Reliance Jio Infocom Ltd with 36.433 crore (364.33 million or 3,643.3 lakh), Bharti Airtel with 13.045 crore (130.45 million or 1,304.5 lakh), Vodafone Idea with 11.578 crore (115.78 million or 1,157.8 lakh), BSNL with 1.364 crore (13.64 million 136.4 lakh) and MTNL with 0.02 crore (0.20 million or 20 lakh) subscribers.

    Top 5 wired broadband internet subscribers

    As on 31 October, 2019, the top five Wired Broadband Service providers were BSNL with 0.862 crore (8.62 million, 86.2 lakh), Bharti Airtel 0.24 crore (2.40 million or 24 lakh), Atria Convergence Technologies with 0.149 crore (1.49 million or 14.9 lakh), Hathway Cable & Datacom with 0.087 crore (0.87 million or 8.7 lakh) and Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd with 0.079 crore (0.79 million or 7.9 lakh). Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited is a new entrant to the top 5 list in October 2019. It replaced You Broadband which had 0.075 crore (0.75 million or 7.9 lakh) broadband internet subscribers in Sep-19. BSNL and Bharti Airtel Limited both lost wired broadband internet subscribers in Oct-19.

    The top five wired broadband internet service providers lost 80,000 subscribers in Oct-19. Since the wired internet broadband subscriber base grew by 70,000 during the same period, other smaller service providers which include MSOs and LCOs must have added 150,000 subscribers in Oct-19.

  • Middling broadband subscriber growth in November 2019

    Middling broadband subscriber growth in November 2019

    BENGALURU: Overall broadband internet subscribers in India grew by 1.719 crore or 2.67 percent  in the month ended 30November 2019 (Nov-19) from the numbers reported by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India for the month ended 30 October 2019 (Oct-19). Trai had reported 64.408 crore (644.48 million or 6,440.8 lakh) broadband internet subscribers across all segments for Oct-19. This number grew to 66.127 crore (661.27 million or 6,612.7 lakh) in Nov-19 as per the latest numbers published by Trai.

    Subscriber growth for Nov-19 was the fifth highest over a 23 month period starting Jan-18 until Nov-19 in absolute numbers. In percentage terms, Nov-19 saw the twelfth highest growth during the same period. Over the period under consideration in the paper, broadband internet subscriber growth has been on a decline as is evident from the black trend line the graph below:

    The figure below shows the subscriber growth ranking for the months during the period under consideration in this paper in terms of absolute growth numbers as well as percentage terms.

    Trai data reveals that broadband subscribers grew by 1.713 crore (1.713 million or 171.3 lakh) or 2.74 percent to 64.154crore (641.54 million, 6,415.4 lakh) in Nov-19 from 62.441 crore (624.41 million or 6,244.1 lakh) in Oct-19 on the Mobiles (Phones and dongles) segment. Wired broadband internet segment grew by 0.005 crore (0.05 million or 0.05 lakh) or 0.28 percent in Nov-19 to 1.913 crore(19.13 million or 191.3 lakh) from 1.908 crore (19.08 million or 190.8 lakh) in Oct-19. Fixed wireless – WiFi, WiMax, Point to Pont, Radio, Vsat subscribers grew 0.001 crore (0.01 million or 0.1 lakh) or 0.47 percent to 0.06 crore (0.6 million or 6 lakh) in Nov-19 from 0.059 crore (0.59 million or 5.9 lakh) in the previous month.

    Please refer to the figure below.

    Top 5 Broadband Internet Subscribers

    Top five service providers constituted 98.99 percent market share of the total broadband subscribers at the end of Nov-19. These service providers were Reliance Jio
    Infocomm Ltd with 37.076 crore (370.76 million, 3,707.6 lakh) subscribers, Bharti Airtel with 13.992 (139.92 million, 1,399.2 lakh) subscribers, Vodafone Idea with 11.989 crore (119.89 million, 1,198.9 lakh) subscribers, BSNL with 2.254 crore (22.54 million, 225.4 lakh)  subscribers and Atria Convergence with 0.15 crore (1.50 million, 15 lakh) subscribers.

    Top 5 Wireless broadband Internet Subscribers

    As on 30th November, 2019, the top five Wireless Broadband Service providers were Reliance Jio Infocom Ltd  with 36.993 crore (369.93 million, 3,699.3 lakh) subscribers, Bharti Airtel with 13.751 crore (137.51 million, 1,375.1 lakh) subscribers, Vodafone Idea with 11.987 crore (119.87 million, 1,198.7 lakh)BSNL with 1.402 crore (14.02 million, 140.2 lakh) and MTNL 0.02 crore (0.20 million, 2 lakh).

    Top 5 Wired broadband Internet Subscribers

    As on 30th November, 2019, the top five Wired Broadband Service providers were BSNL with 0.851 crore (8.51 million, 85.1 lakh) subscribers, Bharti Airtel with 0.241 crore (2.41 million, 24.1 lakh) subscribers, Atria Convergence Technologies with 0.15 crore (1.50 million, 15 lakh) subscribers, Hathway Cable & Datacom with 0.088 crore (0.88 million, 8.8 lakh) subscribers and Reliance JioInfocomm Ltd with 0.083 crore (0.83 million, 8.3 lakh).Reliance JioInfocomm Limited was a new entrant to the top 5 list in October 2019. It replaced You Broadband which had 0.075 crore (0.75 million or 7.9 lakh) broadband internet subscribers in Sep-19. BSNL lost wired broadband internet subscribers in Nov-19. 

    The top 5 wired broadband internet service providers lost 40,000 subscribers in Nov-19. Since the wired internet broadband subscriber base grew by 50,000 during the same period, other smaller service providers which include MSOs and LCOs must have added 90,000 subscribers in Nov-19.