Cable TV
Asianet lines up special shows for Dubai Shopping Festival
MUMBAI: The annual Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) brings a lot of excitement among the huge Malayali population in the Middle East and Malayalam channels capitalise on the festival in a big way.
Leading Malayalam channel Asianet , which had been airing branded programmes on DSF in its post 11 pm band targeted at the Middle East audience segment every year during the festival, has approached this season with a renewed vigour. The channel has increased the duration of the band this year by half an hour – from 11 pm – 12 am to 11 pm – 12:30 am.
A look at the eleven shows the channel has lined up this year:
Britelite Vazhiorakazhchakal is a road show ahcored by popular anchor Gopi Menon who visits the Global village and various other places and interacts with the crowd. He asks comical riddles to the people he meets. At the end of the episode there is also a question for the audience.
Festival with Alukkas familiarises the viewers to the various attractions and events at the Global Village and travel to all other locations where various DSF events are hosted. The anchor Neena Kurup, a familiar face in the big and small screen in Malayalam, interviews an official of the Joy Alukkas group and answers viewers queries related to Gold, Diamonds and offers at Alukkas Jewellery outlets.
K.M Trading Best Moments attempts to capture various memorable “moments” at the DSF. Concentrating on events and extraordinary activities at the festival and capturing best moments is the idea of this show.
Sky Chiri-O-Chiri This is a comedy program primarily aimed to touch the lighter side of the viewers’ mood. Here the jubilant anchor dresses and mimics various well known people and actively interact with the people and viewers.
Gold and Jewellery DSF Bonanza is divided into three segments: One is a game show, the second segment aims to find ‘why Dubai is known as the land of Gold?’ and finally there is the Gold and Jewellery Group DSF raffle draw.
A musical show Rainbow Junction has got the Antakshari format and the difference is it’s a road show and the crowd gets a chance to participate in Antakshari unlike pre-selected participants.
Geepas Utsavam is a quiz show without the stage! It’s a road show where the anchor asks various GK questions to the people and saves one question for the viewers at the end of the show. Kairali Hungama Fungama captures the various brilliant landscapes and much talked about night life in Dubai. Lulu Family Festival targets the Lulu shoppers. Here the anchor thrills and exhausts the audience with wacky tongue twisters in Malayalam. Univeral Arabian Dreams/KIA festival is a gameshow and SFC Challenge is an eating competition.
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.
