Cable TV
Cable off air in parts of Maharashtra, operators threaten statewide blackout
MUMBAI: Cable operators and control room owners in the western Indian state of Maharashtra are threatening a total statewide blackout over the issue of non-payment of entertainment tax arrears.
Operators switched off feeds in many towns and cities across the state on Monday. Pune, Miraj, Sangli, Kolhapur and Pandurpur witnessed the first closures after revenue officials sealed control rooms in these places for non-payment of entertainment tax arrears. Nagpur, Akola, Ahmednagar, and Nashik were some of the other cities which joined them.
Mumbai-based Live Satellite Media promoter Atul Saraf, who is on the committee of the Union of Cable Operators and Cable Room Owners (UCOCRO), said there was a meeting scheduled later in the afternoon in Mumbai and it was likely that there would be a total and indefinite shutdown after that if their demands were not met.
Queried on what sort of feedback they had received from the big multi-systems operators (MSOs) like Hathway (in which Star has a 26 per cent stake) and Siti Cable (promoted by the Zee group), Saraf said they too were likely to support the action. “Ram Hindurani of In Cable (promoted by the Hindujas) was party to the discussions we’ve had and backs us fully,” Saraf said.
Matters came to a head on Sunday in Pune when UCOCRO representatives from all across the state gathered for a meeting to thrash out the the issue, which has been hanging fire for over six months following the doubling of entertainment tax per connection per month from Rs 15 to Rs 30 in municipal areas and from Rs 10 to Rs 20 in other parts of the state. It may be recalled that operators went on strike in August 2000 over this after which a committee representing operators, the government and consumers was set up to arrive at some sort of understanding.
Nitin Gadkari, leader of the opposition in the state legislative council, was present for the meeting. A notable absentee however was political heavyweight Sharad Pawar, leader of the Nationalist Congress Party, a coalition partner in the state government, who was originally scheduled to attend but backed out in the end.
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.
