BENGALURU: Indian multi system operator (MSO) Hathway Cable and Datacom Limited (Hathway) has reported a four per cent YoY growth in standalone Total Income from Operations (TIO) in Q2-2016 (quarter ended 30 September, 2015, current quarter) at Rs 270.03 crore as compared to Rs 263.51 crore and 3.6 per cent QoQ revenue growth from Rs 264.41 crore in Q1-2016.

Note: 100,00,000 = 100 lakh = 10 million = 1 crore

Its focus on broadband appears to be yielding dividends. Its  broadband revenues of Rs 71.9 crore in the current quarter were 58.4 percent higher YoY than the Rs 45.4 crore, and 10.4 percent more than the Rs 65.1 crore in the immediate trailing quarter.

The company says that its  broadband subscription base crossed 515,000 subscribers with 200,000  DOCSIS  3.0 subscribers. The company said that it had added 50,000 broadband subscribers in Q1-2016, and claimed a broadband subscriber base of 4.6 lakh, of which 1.7 lakh were under Docsis 3.0 then. Hathway says that its broadband ARPU increased 6.8 percent QoQ to Rs 616 from Rs 577.

The company’s EBIDTA (excluding other income) in Q2-2016 declined 13 per cent YoY to Rs 34.39 crore (12.5 per cent margin), from 39.52 crore (9.9 per cent margin) but increased 5.1 per cent from Rs 32.73 crore (12.8 per cent margin) in the immediate trailing quarter.

Hathway’s loss in the current quarter widened to Rs 48.94 crore as compared to Rs 39.26 crore in Q2-2015 and a loss of Rs 43.91 crore in Q1-2016.

Subscription numbers

Hathway’s television subscription revenue in Q2-2016 declined 3.2 percent YoY to Rs 107.5 crore as compared Rs 111 crore, but grew 1.9 percent QoQ from Rs 105.5 crore. The company says that it has seeded 77,000 set top boxes in this quarter and its digital subscriber base is 87 lakh or 72.5 percent of its total cable TV subscriber base of 120 lakh.

Hathway reported Phase I ARPU at Rs. 100 (net of tax) and Phase II ARPU at Rs 76 (net of tax) in the current quarter as compared to Rs 76 (net of tax) in Q1-2016.

Placement revenue in the current quarter increased 2.9 percent YoY to Rs 84.8 crore from Rs 82.4 crore and increased 1.2 percent QoQ from Rs 83.8 crore.

Activation Revenue in Q2-2016 reduced to a little more than a fifth (1/4.7 times) at Rs 4.7 crore as compared to the Rs 22.1 crore in Q2-2015 and declined 14.5 percent QoQ from Rs 5.5 crore.

Let us look at the other numbers reported by Hathway

Hathway’s standalone Total Expenditure in Q2-2016 increased 9.9 percent to Rs 301.40 crore (110 percent of TIO) as compared to Rs 274.27 crore (104 percent of TIO in Q2-2015) and rose 3.6 percent from Rs 290.87 crore (110 percent of TIO in Q1-2016).

Standalone Pay Channel cost in Q2-2016 increased 1.5 percent to Rs 98.27 crore as compared to Rs 96.81 crore (36.7 percent of TIO) and was 5.3 percent more than the Rs 93.32 crore (35.3 percent of TIO) in Q1-2016.

Employee Benefit Expense in Q2-2016 increased 11.2 percent YoY to Rs 17.83 crore as compared to Rs 16.03 crore and increased 5.3 percent from Rs 17.21 crore in Q1-2016.