Cable TV
Ravi Mansukhani to handle content business for IMCL associate Indusind Entertainment
MUMBAI: For quite a while now, multi-system operator (MSO) IndusInd Media and Communications Limited (IMCL) has been focused on distribution though it started out with local content. However, the MSO has decided to revisit its core strength, with none other than former MD Ravi Mansukhani taking up the gauntlet.
Ever since Ravi stepped down from his position in February, making way for Tony D’Silva, speculation has been rife about his next move. In the midst of all this, indiantelevision.com found out that he will be returning to the fold, albeit in a new role. “Digitisation has new content challenges and that content needs to be segmented,” Hinduja group sources say. “He has played a crucial role in IMCL in the last decade, but prior to that, he was also in charge of content. So, he has experience in different spheres. Now, it is up to the promoters to utilize his services.”
The Hinduja Group is looking at developing content as a major international vertical.
Ravi meanwhile said, “Yes, I will be taking up the role. But nothing is finalized yet. The exact role still needs to be discussed,” before clarifying that there would be clarity on his new job profile only after a couple of more meetings.
The Hinduja Media group , according to industry sources, is not only interested in localised content but also animation and some of this would be sourced from Indusind Entertainment. If they are to be believed, Ravi may be involved with content related to animation and might be working closely with Ambika Hinduja. Further, the company may also be looking at setting up an animation facility with Ravi working on it.
With the Hinduja group acquiring the license for its Headend In The Sky (HITS) project, and phase III and phase IV to be tapped by both the MSO and the HITS platform, will foraying into content help? “Content can do well, only if the distribution does,” said a source.
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.
