Cable TV
Arnab Goswami on counteroffensive after Sena ban threat; implores viewers
Mumbai: Arnab Goswami is fighting back. Like he probably has never done before. Yesterday, he reached out Republic TV and Republic Bharat viewers imploring them to not allow the Shv Cable Sena’s order to cable TV operators to stop carrying both the channels on their networks. Said Arnab Goswami: “Our journalism is for the people, our reporting is for your right to know and our channel reports for the nation. They are trying to block us from reaching you. They can't block us, you the people of India won't let them. Join us in this fight, support us in this fight, we need your support."
He has asked viewers to sign a “Can’t block Republic” online.
Arnab Goswami further highlighted: “We have refused to cow down when they try to gag us. We have refused to reveal our sources even when they have put our reporter Anuj and our crew in jail for three days. And today we refuse to bow down just because they are issuing threats to cable operators in Maharashtra to block our channel Republic Bharat, and our network. This is an attack and an attempt to plunder the fourth pillar of democracy. the Shiv Sena wants us to squirm before them, they want to snatch our fundamental right to report. Under Article 19(1)A of the Constitution of India, Uddhav Thackeray, you have no right to do this. Our coverage speaks truth to power. The people of India did not stand for Emergency in 1975, and they will not stand for what the Sonia Sena is doing right now.”
Earlier, in the day, the channel won a part reprieve from the Mumbai high court when it held that “the (…) Shiv Cable Sena is not a statutory authority to either supersede the license granted to the petitioners or to interfere in the contractual/statutory relationship between the petitioners and the cable network operators. The communication issued by it has, therefore, no effect in law.”
But the court did not heed ARG Outliers’ appeal for the court to intervene and direct cable TV operators not to take the two channels off the air. While the government’s counsel said that the Shiv Cable Sena was an independent private entity from the Shiv Sena, ARG’s counsel said that how much ever it would have liked to place its appeal before the Telecom Disputes Appellate Tribunal, it could not do so as it was in recess and would restart only after 18 September.
The Mumbai high court further added that the there was no evidence that cable TV operators had taken down the channels, and even if they do, it need not be solely because the of Shiv Cable Sena’s threatening messaging.
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.
