Cable TV
Mauli Cable asked to pay Rs 15 lakh to Hathway at time of signing agreement
NEW DELHI: Mauli Cable Network has been directed by the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal to pay upgront a sum of Rs 15 lakh to Hathway Cable and Datacom when signig a fresh interconnect agreement on 28 June at the office of the latter.
The vacation bench of Member B B Srivastava in its order of 24 June 2016 noted that Mauli had not denied the amount of Rs 33,27,944 but that the invoice had been raised only on 6 June 2016.
Listing the matter for 8 July 2016, the Tribunal said the balance would be paid within four weeks of its order.
The Tribunal noted that Mauli was prepared to visit the office of Hathway on 28 June 2016 for signing a new agreement. It also noted that counsel for Hathway said that a representative of Mauli who had earlier turned up for this purpose without any authority to sign the agreement.
Hathway told the Tribunal that it was providing the signals to Mauli for transmission, thereby answering the question raised by Mauli which had said it was not clear who the agreement was to be signed with.
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.
