Cable TV
Media Partners Asia: Cable the ultimate key to India’s broadband digital future
This is an executive summary of a Viewpoint Paper presented to the Prime Minister’s Office on 16 March 2007. The Paper was produced by research firm Media Partners Asia (MPA), and also supported by Liberty Global, Inc; Macquarie Media Group and Star Group.
The current cable industry, which already contributes 0.6 per cent directly to GDP, has the potential to increase this direct contribution exponentially, if it maximizes its broadband digital potential and attract investment. To do this, cable needs to be seen by the Government of India as the significant platform in the national economic context and as the key driving national broadband digital growth. Therefore, it needs higher priority in policy planning and a framework that allows it to maximize value.
Cable today in India is the dominant last mile pipe, connected to 20 million more homes than fixed line telephony. Cable TV already connects an estimated 71 million homes and almost 60 per cent of homes that own a TV set subscribe to cable TV, with India overtaking the US in 2006 to become the second largest Cable power in the world. Projected to further establish its status as the leading last mile network, cable will, serve more than 100 million TV homes by 2010. Its size and scale, if harnessed, presents a great opportunity to drive broadband digital deployment.
What is needed is an influx of capital an order of magnitude greater than currently exists. However, investors say that sentiment on broadband digital development in India is being somewhat dampened by the regulatory framework, which has grown too intrusive and harmful to long-term growth. As a result, investors are still cautious about funding long term broadband digital network upgrades when regulation imposes strict controls on the pricing of new capital intensive services. Concerns have intensified with the regulation for the deployment of digital conditional access systems or CAS in India. While all investors are agreed that CAS will provide a significant impetus to the deployment of broadband digital networks, they think it will work only in a less tightly regulated context.
Shane O’Neill, Chief Strategic Officer & Board Member, Liberty Global Inc., says: “The market is very attractive in terms of sheer size and growth potential but could be held back by ‘over regulation’ in key areas such as channel rate regulation, mandated revenue shares between industry participants and FDI caps. A lighter approach might be necessary to encourage the significant investment required to develop the broadband and digital industries both of which are very important for India’s future development.”
Alex Harvey, MD of Macquarie Media Group, adds, “We think India’s cable businesses, due to their ability to offer a range of converged services, will be material areas of growth and opportunity. A key element to realising these growth opportunities will be a transparent and proactive regulatory environment – this must be a priority area of government focus.”
Paul Aiello, the new CEO of STAR Group says: “The stakes are high for policymakers and the regulator to get it right, ensuring progressive policies that facilitate investment and growth.”
Investors are eyeing many deals in the cable broadband/digital space… one of the complications for some of the larger investor groups is how the current regulatory framework will play out – the current restrictions on revenue share, channel distribution and pricing are not optimal for investment, especially as there is no concrete signal was to when these restrictions will be lifted.
(The views expressed here are those of the author and Indiantelevision.com need not necessarily subscribe to the same.)
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.
