Cable TV
Hinduja Group media head Mansukhani spells out priorities
NEW DELHI: The new CEO & MD of Hinduja Media Group Ashok Mansukhani, a veteran of Indian media industry, has already got his priorities etched out and expressed willingness to work along with all stakeholders of the sector for the overall growth and mutual benefits.
Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, the bureaucrat-turned-corporate-executive Mansukhani said priorities included getting digital rollout of Indian TV services “back on track”, push for promotion of digitisation and increased education of consumers, explore how some of his cable segment colleagues could benefit from digitisation and last, but not the least, to work towards bringing other segments of the media and entertainment sector, including regulators and policy-makers, together so a conducive environment for a mature dialogue could be created.
Indirectly admitting that digitisation had hit roadblocks in the last 12-18 months owing to several reasons, Mansukhani said while the third phase of digitisation is coming to an end, edges in the fourth and last phase need to be ironed out. “At the end of the day, it’s a matter of 73 million homes in small towns and hamlets in the last phase of digitisation and we cannot take the task lightly,” he explained.
Mansukhani, a former Indian Revenue Service government official, has seen the Indian media industry (specifically the electronic medium) grow from staid Doordarshan days to the present vibrant — and possibly a bit chaotic — stage of evolution when the country has over 800 private sector licensed TV channels, several distribution platforms and approximately 50,000 cable operators. His stints at the pubcaster’s headquarters in New Delhi’s Mandi House area, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) and later in the private sector with the Hinduja Group, puts him in a unique position.
According to Mansukhani, who now will be heading the media assets of the multi-billion dollar Hinduja Group, including MSO company IndusInd Media and Communications Ltd (IMCL) and the HITS venture, the Indian media and TV industry is at a critical stage of development and hinted increased litigation and face-off with the regulator and policy-makers could be detrimental for the industry, which needs to come together to voice the genuine and common concerns of the industry.
“I would also like to see and explore how we can help cable operator colleagues and others benefit from digitisation,” Mansukhani said, adding that a more concerted effort needs to be put in by stakeholders, including broadcasters, distribution platforms and the regulator, to educate consumers, especially those in small towns, about the long term benefit of digitisation despite the monthly outflow in subscription fee increasing a bit.
“Consumer education is very important in general and especially for the fourth phase (of digitisation) homes. All of us need to support this education process as it would be beneficial for all stakeholders,” he said.
Mansukhani comes in place of Tony D’Silva, who joined the Hinduja Group on 1 August 2012 as the president of Hinduja Ventures Limited and strategised the group’s media businesses. D’Silva had expressed a desire to demit office after completion of his contract on 31 January 2017 to pursue “other interests and spend more time with his family,” according to an official statement from the Hinduja Group.
However, it needs to be seen how Mansukhani grows the comparatively new HITS business carried out under a separate group company, apart from tackling the challenges of IMCL, an MSO.
ALSO READ:
Ashok Mansukhani takes over as IMCL CEO & MD
Distribution vet Tony D’silva departs from IMCL
Cable TV
Hathway Cable appoints Gurjeev Singh Kapoor as CEO
Leadership change comes as cable TV faces shrinking subscriber base and modest earnings pressure
MUMBAI: Hathway Cable and Datacom has tapped industry veteran Gurjeev Singh Kapoor as chief executive officer, marking a leadership pivot at a time when India’s cable television business is under mounting strain.
Kapoor will take over from Tavinderjit Singh Panesar, who is set to retire in August after a long innings with the company. Panesar, chief executive since 2023, has held multiple leadership roles at Hathway, including his latest stint beginning in 2022.
Kapoor brings more than three decades of experience in media and entertainment. He most recently led distribution at The Walt Disney Company’s Star India business, now part of JioStar. His career spans television distribution and affiliate partnerships, with stints at Sony Pictures Networks India, Discovery Communications and Zee Entertainment.
Panesar, with over three decades in the industry, has worked across strategic planning, distribution and business development in media, broadcasting and manufacturing. His past associations include ESPN Star Sports, Star India, Apollo Tyres and JK Industries.
The transition lands as the cable sector grapples with structural disruption. Traditional operators are losing ground to streaming platforms, while telecom and broadband players tighten the squeeze with bundled offerings.
An EY report estimates India’s pay-TV base could shrink by a further 30 to 40 million households by 2030, taking the total down to 71 to 81 million. The slide follows a loss of nearly 40 million homes between 2018 and 2024, a contraction that has already wiped out more than 37,000 jobs in the local cable operator ecosystem.
Hathway’s numbers reflect the strain. The company reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 93 crore for FY25, down from Rs 99 crore a year earlier. Revenue inched up to Rs 2,040 crore from Rs 1,981 crore. As of December 2025, it had about 4.7 million cable TV subscribers and roughly 1.02 million broadband users.
Kapoor steps in with a familiar brief but a shrinking playbook. In a market where viewers are cutting cords faster than companies can reinvent them, the new chief executive inherits a business fighting to stay plugged in.
