Cable TV
Cable TV operators go on two day strike to protest against entertainment tax
Cable TV operators in the metro city of Mumbai are on a two day strike to protest against a hike of 100 per cent in the Entertainment Tax levied by the government.
This move by the cable operators was after they failed to constitutionally bar the Government of Maharashtra from increasing the entertainment tax levied on them. The cable operators had earlier petitioned in the Bombay High Court that the Maharashtra government which had promulgated the tax through an ordinance and later legislated it trough the state legislature was unfair to them as the tax on entertainment should be charged on TV set owners and that they were only being made the government collection agents.
The government is charging the cable operators per TV set at the rate of Rs 30 in municipal limits and cantonments, Rs20 in all ‘A’ and ‘B’ class municipal councils and Rs 10 in other areas, an increase of 100 per cent from the earlier rates of Rs 15, Rs 10 and Rs 5. However the High Court citing past Supreme Court judgements said that the state legislature had legislative competence to enact the duty as entertainment was a taxable event. The court also dismissed the cable operator’s petition saying that all businesses are subject to taxation and Cable TV operators are no exception.
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.
