Cable TV
Switch-off scenario averted in Mumbai as Star, INCableNet agree to continue talking
After a day of hard negotiations, Star India and Hinduja Group MSO INCableNet this evening appeared to have bought themselves some time to arrive at an agreement on the terms of a new contract after the current one expired on 30 June.
Executive V-P distribution Tony D’Silva said Star had given INCableNet a proposal and the MSO was supposed to revert back on it within 48 hours. D’Silva was however, quick to point out the latest round of talks were not confrontationist in nature and that he felt reasonably confident that it would not come to a scenario of Star switching off the INCableNet feed. D’Silva said the proposal Star had put forward was valid for a limited one-month period during which a final agreement would have to be arrived at.
Rajiv Vyas, newly promoted COO of IndusInd Media & Communications Ltd (IMC), of which INCableNet is the operations arm, spoke in a similar vein while stating the two sides had worked out a month-long bridge period in which to resolve all outstanding issues and come to an agreement which would be beneficial to both sides. Vyas added that Star had sent them a proposal in which they’d sought a response in 48 hours. It was not an ultimatum, Vyas said.
The scene was a sea change from the one existing at the beginning of the day where it had almost seemed as a certainty that there would be a confrontation between the two sides. Big ads in yesterday’s edition of The Sunday Times of India and Sunday Mid-Day detailing INCableNet’s litany of woes vis–vis broadcasters, but with particular reference to Star, appeared to point to the fact that consumers could expect a switch-off any time in the next few days. The advertisement said Star had issued a notice to INCableNet that unless the MSO increased monthly payments, it would not be able to provide signals w.e.f. tomorrow, 9 July.
The ad also made a strong plea for the introduction of conditional access systems (CAS) at the earliest as the only way to resolve this matter in the long term.
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.
