Cable TV
Animation experts to look at India’s role in this field at Frames
MUMBAI: The convention for the business of entertainment Frames takes place in Mumbai from 22 to 24 March. One key session will see animation experts dwell on the role that India will play in this field.
India is getting more recognition and attention from global players as the Animation Hub. India, the land of 5000 years old strong culture and heritage, has a great advantage in terms of content. With the skilled, English speaking talent pool, India is poised to do better. Can India outperform or came at par with advanced animation content creating countries?
Seeking to provide an answer are Anirights Infomedia founder and executive producer Ashish Kulkarni, Crest Animations CEO A K Madhavan, DQ Entertainment MD Tapaas Chakravorti, Spiderman director Vincent Edwards and Toon Boom Animation Canada CEO and president Joan Vogelesang.
Another session will offer A case study in animation co-production. More and more studios are graduating from purely services to co-production. What makes them go for this
business model? Attendees will be presented with a live case study to understand the intricacies of co-production in animation.
The session will be moderated by Maya Entertainment CEO Rajesh Thurakia, Quintus Group, UK’s Anthony Boucher, Anima Vitae CEO Petteri Pasanen, Stewart & Wall Entertainment’s Richard Stewart John Mc Kenna who works with the Berlin Film Compani, in Germany.
Then there is the question of intellectual property. The session is called IP in Animation: The Indian Way. As the market is maturing, the Indian studios are moving up in the value chain and coming out with their own IP. How different or rather difficult is this model than co-production or services ? What benefits do studios derive besides owning a property? Are they able to generate enough revenue streams to cover their investments?
The session will be moderated by Moving Picture Company chairman and MD Ramesh Sharma. The speakers are Silvertoons director V G Samant, Graphiti Multimedia director Munjal Shroff, Vaibhav Studios director Vaibhav Kumaresh and Green Gold Animation dierctor Rajiv Chilakalapudi.
Aardman Animations CEO David Sproxton, will conduct a Master Class in Making of Animated Movie. He will reconstruct the entire movie from pre-production, production to post production. he will present a live case study to take
attendees through the odyssey of successful filmmaking
Another session will look at Building a Valuable Gaming Market in India. The gaming market is India is seeing healthy growth. What does it take to sustain that kind of growth? What new gaming avenues and genres are expected to emerge in coming years?
Looking to answer these questions are Electronic Arts Asia director of mobile and third party content Mike McCabe, Alias Business Development Manager (Asia-Pacific) � games Kian Bee Ng, Paradox Studios executive VP Ninad Chayya, Sony Online Entertainment VP Cindy Armstrong and Spark Unlimited co-founder Sunil Takamoshi.
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.
