Cable TV
Hathway Bhawani posts lower revenue, lower loss for Q1-2015
BENGALURU: Hathway Bhawani Cabeltel and Datacom Limited (HBC&DL) reported loss of Rs 65.55 lakh for the current quarter as compared to the Rs 99.63 lakh loss in Q4-2014 and the Rs 83.2 lakh loss in Q1-2014.
HBC&DL reported 4 per cent lower total operating revenue (TIO) in Q1-2015 at Rs 3.89 crore as compared to the Rs 4.05 crore in the immediate trailing quarter and was 3.8 per cent lower than the Rs 4.04 crore in the year ago quarter.
Note: Rs 100,00,000 = 100 lakhs = 10 million = 1 crore
HBC&DL reported 10.9 per cent lower expenditure in Q1-2014 at Rs 4.51 crore as compared to the Rs 5.06 crore in Q4-2014 and 4.9 per cent lower than the Rs 4.74 crore in Q1-2014.
EBIDTA in Q1-2015 was negative at Rs 0.42 crore as compared to the negative Rs 0.77 crore in Q4-2014 and the negative Rs 0.51 crore in Q1-2014.
The company paid Rs 1.62 crore (41.7 per cent of TIO) in Q1-2015, which was 87.4 per cent higher than the Rs 0.89 crore (21.4 per cent of TIO) in Q4-2014 and 44.3 per cent lower than the Rs 2.91 crore (72 per cent of TIO) in Q4-2014.
The company has informed the bourses that subject to shareholders’ approval, it intends to issue up to 9 lakh fully paid up equity shares of face value of Rs 10 to Hathway Cable and Datacom at a price of Rs 11 per equity share aggregating Rs 99,00,000.
HBC&DL’s equity share price went up 3.9 per cent yesterday (11 August). The share opened at Rs 10.45 and closed at Rs 10.39, with 512 shares changing hands. The earlier closing price of the share was Rs 10. The 30 day average volume of shares was 317. The book value of each equity share was Rs 2.19. The P/E ratio of the industry that HBC&DL is involved in is 32.84.
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.
