Cable TV
106 MSOs registered says Javadekar; Arasu application under review
MUMBAI: The government is doing well in the area of registering multi system operators (MSOs), especially in those areas where digitization has been implemented. This was stated by information & broadcasting minister Prakash Javadekar in a written reply in th Rajya Sabha. He revealed that 106 MSOs have have been granted permanent registrations by his ministry to enable them to operate in digital addressable system (DAS) zones.
He added that the I&B ministry had received a letter from the Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa to also register the government run MSO the Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV Corp Ltd to allow it to operate in the DAS notified areas of the southern state.
He disclosed that his ministry was examining Arasu’s application in the light of the TRAI’s recommendations regarding the entry of government entities in the broadcasting and distribution activities.
The TRAI has been consistent in its stand that state government entities should not be allowed to enter the business of broadcasting and distribution of TV channels. It had made these recommendations in its paper on Issues related to entry of certain entities into Broadcasting and Distribution Activities in December 2012, and reiterated them in its consultation paper on monopoly/market dominance in cable TV in June 2013.
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.
