Cable TV
Several Chennai-based MSOs get clearance for DAS
NEW DELHI: A total of 119 Multi System Operators (MSOs), all over the country, have been granted permanent registration for 10 years to operate the digital addressable system (DAS).
The MSOs had been given provisional permission earlier.
Interestingly, many MSOs from Chennai have got permission except for Arasu as the latest recommendation of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) states that state-owned bodies should not be permitted, and also because of the denial of permission to Kal Cables and its subsidiary Sumangali.
The nine MSOs, which have got permission as per the latest list released on 22 September, are Koduri Satyanarayana, Sri Sai TV Services of Khammam District of Telengana; Abhilash Communications of Adilabad for notified areas of phase II and phase III cities in PAN India; JPR Channel of Mumbai for Mumbai (phase I) and phase II areas in Maharashtra and Gujarat; Operator Digital Tamil Nadu for all the cities, towns and villages of phase II,III and IV in Tamil Nadu; VK Digital Network of Chennai for cities/towns/areas occurring against phase I, phase II, phase III, phase-IV; Saga Network Entertainment of Chennai for Tamil Nadu; Talachaer TV Home Cable Network of Talacher in Odisha for Angul District and Dhenkanal District, Odisha ; Voice and Vision Club of Singrauli in Madhya Pradesh for phase III and IV of Madhya Pradesh and Sonebhadra Districts of Uttar Pradesh; and Den Network Satellite of Mumbai for Maharashtra.
Digicable Network of Mumbai and Kal Cables of Chennai, which had received provisional licence’s, have been refused permission as it has failed to get the clearance of the Home Ministry.
According to a list issued in late July, 16 MSOs had been refused permission. It also said that Kolkata based Digicable Communications had been denied permission after the break-up of the joint venture with Digicable Networks of Mumbai, which has received permission for Greater Mumbai, National Capital Territory of Delhi and Greater Kolkata.
MSO sources, however, said that the approved list was in addition to the 140 whose names had been approved in March last year.
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.
