Cable TV
Axom Communications signs bandwidth agreement with Airtel
KOLKATA: Assam-based multi-system operator (MSO), Axom Communications and Cable, has signed an agreement with telecom major Airtel for one year. The main objective of this is to have better bandwidth and reach in all the seven north eastern states, where the company operates.
Currently, the MSO boasts of around six lakh cable TV connections in Assam including the lower and central parts of the state. It had installed a digital headend in 2009 and had laid down the fiber connecting around 250 kms from three sides of Guwahati, the commercial hub of Assam.
Axom Communications and Cable director Sanjive Narain said that this bandwidth would easily help in connecting all the seven north eastern states. “Before the cable TV digitisation starts in full swing in phase III and IV, we have already finished 60-70 per cent of the work in Guwahati,” he added.
“Out of the six lakh connections, more than 70,000 cable homes have been converted into digital signal even before the digitisation process has started in the state,” he explained talking about Guwahati.
“Fiber network connectivity work is on in other states like Tripura, Nagaland, Meghalaya to name a few,” he further added.
The company has around 10 analogue headends and one digital headend in total, informed Narain.
It should be noted that Assam and other north eastern states are likely to digitise their cable TV homes in the phase III and IV of digitisation. “Right now the process has not started in the true sense, but the industry is getting ready,” he said.
With a terrain where cable cannot reach easily, there is a sizeable penetration of DTH in this market. “We will convert a DTH home into cable TV home by giving a lucrative option to consumers,” he concluded.
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.
