Cable TV
BBC to have an Easter parade in the UK
MUMBAI: UK pubcaster the BBC will celebrate Easter, a significant event in the Christian calendar, next month.
It will take viewers and listeners from traditional worship through to a modern interpretation of the Passion of Christ; a forensic examination of history’s most noteworthy religious paintings and an emotional return to the communities blighted by the Balkan War.
Live from Manchester city centre on Good Friday 14 April, Keith Allen presents a contemporary re-telling of the last few hours of Jesus’ life for BBC Three. Manchester Passion tells the Easter story through the music of Manchester, including classic sounds such as New Order’s Blue Monday and Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now by The Smiths.
In The Private Life of An Easter Masterpiece on BBC Two, three great paintings – The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci; Salvador Dali’s The Christ of St John of the Cross and Resurrection by Piero della Francesca – are forensically examined and explained. Each programme shows how particular techniques have been mastered by the artist, how complex ideas are conveyed to the viewer and how each work is a unique reflection of its own life and times.
In The Cross and the Bomb (Good Friday Liturgy on Radio 4) the Bishop of London, Rev Richard Chartres, reflects on religious conflict in the context of Jesus’ Passion on the Cross. The programme comes from St Ethelburga’s – the medieval city church nearly destroyed by the Bishopsgate bomb in 1993 and rebuilt as an innovative Centre for Reconciliation and Peace. Set against the backdrop of the recent terrorist attacks in London, this is a powerful and thought-provoking meditation.
Greater Love Hath No Man on BBC One explores the impact of the Great Plague on one small village in Derbyshire. The plague was transported to Eyam from London in 1665 and claimed its first victim soon after. As the devastating disease took hold, the villagers isolated themselves to protect the surrounding village communities. Their self-sacrifice saved thousands of lives and is a fitting theme for Good Friday.
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.
