Cable TV
Cable in US gears up for multiple broadband services
MUMBAI: The cable industry in the US is making massive investments to upgrade a nationwide broadband infrastructure for offering new interactive digital services.
The sector has pumped in a capital expenditure of $10.13 billion in 2004, according to a report by National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA). And in the period between 1996 and mid-2005 nearly $100 billion was invested, enabling cable operators to offer multiple broadband services including digital video, high-speed Internet, Video-on-Demand (VoD) and digital voice services.
Supported by the infrastructure, the cable industry in the US is seeing a fast phase of growth. Cable’s high-speed Internet service attracted 22.2 million customers at the end of the first quarter of 2005, even as they faced stiff competition from digital subscriber line (DSL) services offered by telephone companies. Stepping up high-speed Internet access, operators are now offering downstream speeds of 5 mbps on their cable modems.
“More than one-quarter of all cable households today subscribe to cable’s high-speed data service, and among those cable households with Internet access, nearly 30 per cent are cable modem customers,” says the NCTA report.
“More than one-quarter of all cable households today subscribe to cable’s high-speed data service, and among those cable households with Internet access, nearly 30 per cent are cable modem customers,” says the NCTA report.
As value add to cable Internet, operators are also offering features like integrated security suites, pop-up blocking and spam filtering, video e-mail, and specialised content.
Digital cable customers have grown to 26 million while 3.5 million subscribers were taking telephone service from their local cable operators at the first quarter end of 2005. This included traditional circuit-switched telephone and more of Cable VoIP (Voice over Internet protocol) service. Kagan Research says VoIP subscribers increased from 587,000 in the fourth quarter of 2004 to 921,000 in the first quarter of 2005.
Broadband services are offering wide diversity in choice and personalisation. “Cable in 2005 is seeking to perpetuate those benefits by swiftly bringing to market broadband-empowered and affordable services in a consumer friendly and socially responsible way,” the report says.
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.
