Cable TV
JAINHITS creates LCO friendly schemes
MUMBAI: Giving more power to the local cable operator (LCO), India’s only HITS service JAINHITS has come up with special schemes that will enable LCOs to choose content as per their customers’ needs and pay for that.
The schemes ‘double happiness dhamaka’ and ‘double freedom dhamaka’ that are valid till 30 September aim to streamline operations, improve efficiency and maximise profits. ‘Double happiness dhamaka’ has two variants, ‘Happy 15’ and ‘Happy 17’ allowing LCOs to choose up to 21 pay channels over and above 140 free to air channels and are valid till June 2015 and June 2017 respectively.
Under ‘Double Freedom Dhamaka’, ‘Freedom 11’ and ‘Freedom 12’ are two sub themes that target regional viewers apart from other channel packages. MPEG4 quality set top boxes are available at the starting price of Rs 1699. “Our offerings are a testimony to our belief in mutual growth along with our partners and wish to boost our partner ecosystem with robust growth opportunity. We would continue to facilitate our partners with such opportunities in the days to come,” stated JAINHITS head Rakesh Gupta.
“These schemes will assist LCO’s in reaching out to greater audiences with best-in-class TV viewing solutions and enable them to maximize profitability, improve efficiency as well cater to the consumer expectations,” states a release from the company.
JAINHITS technology in partnership with ARRIS and IntelSat is a fast plug and play digitisation solution that comes for an investment of as low as Rs 4.99 lakhs. By signing up for the new schemes, LCOs also get technical updaradation with 24X7 sales service, CAF and CRF and marketing and promotion support which are all DAS compliant.
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.
