Cable TV
Sun set to buy out RPG Netcom
CHENNAI: Sun Network is all set to acquire RPG Netcom, a move which will mark the company’s foray into cable TV business in the non South market.
SCV, the cable TV arm of Sun Network, is in the last lap of procedures to totally buy out the leading Kolkata-based multi system operator (MSO). The deal is being worked out by Ernst & Young.
Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Sun Network’s chairman and managing director Kalanithi Maran says the deal is almost through. “We are on the verge of closing the deal and expect to make an announcement within a month,” he adds.
Maran was not willing to disclose the valuation of the deal that was being worked out. The buzz in the market, though, is that SCV would be paying between Rs 350-450 million.
The acquisition of RPG’s cable network is expected to precede the launch of Sun’s Bangla entertainment channel in September. Earlier, Sun had planned to launch Surjo on 14 April. Instead, Sun will be launching Aditya, a Telugu channel on 14 April.
RPG has a 40 per cent share of the local market but, like other MSOs, has very few direct points. The ailing MSO had long been in hunt of an equity partner but the negotiations with Star India fell through a few years back.
What brought Sun and RPG into the negotiating table? “We saw an opportunity in the market while RPG may have its own reasons to exit,” says Maran.
So what is the plan ahead? “We haven’t bought the company yet. If we do, we will bring in more fibre optics into the network. The future is in digital services. Worldwide, cable has gone digital,” says Maran.
Is Sun also talking to acquire stake in Cablecom and Manthan, the two other big cable operators in Kolkata? “I am not going to comment on that. As a policy, we talk only when anything definite has been arrived at,” says Maran.
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.
