Cable TV
Arasu digital STB costs Rs 200, govt alerts subs
MUMBAI: Government authorities in Tamil Nadu are announcing the basic rate of installing a new STB following complaints by subscribers of the state-owned Arasu Cable TV Corporation that cable operators are charging them around four times the cost. Tirupur operators are reportedly threatening to disconnect the cable services if subscribers do not pay up.
Tirupur district collector KS Palanisamy stated in a press release that the government had fixed Rs 200 as charges for installing set-top boxes (STBs), which the cable operators were entitled to receive. “If this is violated, those affected should register complaints at toll free number 1800 425 2911,” the Times of India reported.
A number of subscribers are complaining that cable operators were charging them as much as Rs 700 for installing the free STBs issued by Arasu Cable (TACTV).
Authorities had declared that the boxes will be installed from 1 September when DAS (digital broadcasting system) was launched. Cable operators however are reportedly threatening the subscribers that if they did not pay by the first week of October, they would disconnect the service.
A political activist alleged that the cable operators had been providing around half of cable connections without maintaining records. Some cable operators reportedly asked subscribers to buy STBs sold by a private company run by the cable federation, and not the ones issued by Arasu Cable. Such STBs cost around Rs 1,500-Rs 1,700 through which, operators have claimed, more channels could be accessed as compared to Arasu Cable.
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.
