Cable TV
BBC to launch kids, English entertainment channels in India
MUMBAI: The kids and English general entertainment space in India is about to get a tad more crowded. BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of UK pubcaster the BBC, has announced that it will be launching two channels in India shortly – preschoolers’ channel CBeebies and BBC Entertainment, offering drama and comedy.
The launches are part of a global rollout of four new TV channels that will include BBC Knowledge and BBC Lifestyle. BBC Worldwide has stated it also plans a high definition channel in the future. The four channels will be broadcast across all media: linear TV, VoD, mobile and online.
BBC Entertainment and CBeebies are due to be launched in India first. BBC Entertainment will replace BBC Prime in some countries, initially Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea and Thailand.
BBC Worldwide said the expansion of the channels would be decided on a country-by-country basis. As part of its plans to ramp up its channels business globally, BBC Worldwide is setting up regional offices in Asia, Europe and Latin America. Heading operations in Asia is Christine Leo-McKerrow who has been appointed senior VP for tghe region.
CBeebies will air in India in Hindi and English and will not carry ads. “We will be setting up an advisory board made up of local/Indian psychologists, doctors, teachers, parents etc to advise us on our programming and ensure we remain relevant and trustworthy,” Darren Childs, the managing director of global channels at BBC Worldwide, has been quoted as saying in a media report.
In the UK CBeebies targets children below the age of six. CBeebies’ basic aim is to educate and entertain the BBC’s youngest audience. The service provides a range of pre-school programming designed to encourage learning through play for children aged five and under, in a consistently safe environment. For the CBeebies launch in India the channel will have a panel of pyschologists, experts to decide on the programming content. The aim is to ensure relevance and trustworthiness.
BBC Entertainment, meanwhile, will aim to offer the best of British shows in different genres like comedy, drama and light entertainment.
Localisation: A report in the UK’s Times says that while initially the plan is to air British shows, the BBC is also looking at generating content from India. It might also look to buy Indian production companies if the business successfully kicks in, the report adds.
Childs was quoted saying that the company is trying to change how it approaches the international channels business and fit things into a local market perspective rather than push them out from London. He also says that the chanel is close to getting a distribution deal.
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.
