Cable TV
BSNL, Reliance broadband threaten cable trade
MUMBAI: The broadcasting and cable fraternity is certainly not smiling. To add to their existing problems in an evolving market such as India, non-media companies are jumping into the entertainment delivery bandwagon.
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has announced its foray into the broadband segment at a nominal fee of Rs 1000 per month and “free” set-top boxes. Another big gun, Reliance Infocomm, is also mulling its foray into the broadband entertainment sector.
A cable industry veteran says: “The threat of outside competition is looming large over the cable trade. The competition is not from the next-door cable operator or multi-system operator (MSO) who is eating into one’s territory but from DTH (direct to home) and from telecom companies who offer broadband services.”
Both these “attacks” come at a time when the cable industry is grappling with uncertainty related to the implementation of the conditional access system (CAS) and direct-to-home (DTH) television service.
BSNL, the country’s largest telecom service provider, will offer broadband services in several cities in a phased manner by the end of 2003. BSNL will reach out to the service using existing last-mile copper wire connectivity and xDSL (Digital Subscriber Line) technology bypassing the fibre optic networks. Reliance Infocomm is also expected to make its foray around the same time. The content aggregation system for the project is already in place.
Cable industry sources say that these behemoths could wipe out the smaller cable operators. All these threats will lure away consumers (seeking content) from the cable distribution networks.
Also, broadcasters who want consumers to get into the habit (mode) of paying for content are opposing telecom operators who would offer TV content and other services under a single umbrella to consumer households.
A cable operator who is also a Reliance Infocomm mobile phone services user says (on conditions of anonymity): “Reliance is already aggregating content for its mobile telephony services and has joined hands with several content providers including broadcasters and news channels. Everything is available on the small mobile screen from the central server. It won’t be difficult for Reliance to make the transition from the small mobile screen to the larger TV screen.”
Jaideep Pujari, a software engineer, agrees: “The business of content providing has undergone a plethora of change with the digitalisation of content. Digitised content can be stored and distributed in various ways – DVDs, DTH, broadband, Internet, mobile telephony amongst others. There is a lot of flexibility and multiple options available in terms of quick data transfer. One need not depend on the traditional cable distribution system which has ruled India since the last decade or so!”
Industry observers say that companies such as Reliance Infocomm can leverage its fibre-optic network to provide a wide array of services to consumers. They feel that consumers will not be able to refuse a good offer from Reliance Infocomm.
“If Reliance offers a consumer a single package comprising wireless in local loop, mobile phone facilities, Internet broadband and cable TV services at a lower rate than what consumers end up paying for each individual service, will consumers refuse? Also, Reliance has deep pockets and will be able to sustain at lower margins or even losses for some time – but the cable operators will be wiped out if they offer such rates,” says a cable operator from Mahim, Mumbai.
And the fear of the cable operators is very real. According to the information available with indiantelevision.com, one of the plans being mulled by Reliance is to sell a consumer the company’s telecom services and throw in the cable service free as a sop. Later, these sops can be increased with newer services being offered – including gaming for children on cable as also on cell phones. Now if that happens, the friendly neighbourhood cablewallah can say goodbye to his business.
However, broadcasters have their own reservations against this kind of an approach wherein a telecom company offers content on demand. A programming executive working with a broadcasting company says: “If consumers can access content at their own convenience, then the concept of “prime time” disappears. Advertising revenues will be hit. Broadcasters won’t be able to charge a premium for their content offerings and existing prices will remain static or dip. Consumers will get the option of deleting ads and TV commercials.”
Telecom companies will ensure that households pay a fixed amount for popular movies and then will allow them to watch the same over a specified time interval – which could be as long as 24 hours!
Broadcasters want consumers to get into the mode of paying for content. Concepts such as interactive TV and Open TV are detrimental to their interests. One can empathise with them as programming costs are still high.
One cannot help remembering the words used by Sony Entertainment Television chief executive Kunal Dasgupta in an interview with a leading publication. “If you pay peanuts, you will get monkeys!”
Are the pampered consumers listening?
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.
