Cable TV
Cable TV strike call fails to make an impact
NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: The cable operators’ strike has evoked mixed response in most big cities, including the metros, with the blackout of TV channels happening in areas where monopolies (meaning one cable op servicing the area) exist and life as usual in places where there is competition and more than one cable network available.
For example, in Delhi, in places like Punjabi Bagh (North Delhi), Hauz Khas, Green Park, Safdarjung Enclave and Safdurjung Extension (South Delhi) and Jor Bagh (partly in Central Delhi) the blackout of TV channels is almost 100 per cent. Reason: existence of monopolies. In most of these places mentioned The Rajan Raheja-controlled Hathway Datacom is the sole service provider. However, in some other places like Cannuaght Circus or Rajiv Gandhi Chowk, Janpath (Central Delhi), Saket, Maharani Bagh, Ashram, Nehru Place, Friends Colony and New Friends Colony, cable TV services are on because of the presence of independent cable ops, most of whom have not sided with the All India Cable TV Forum.
While the supporters of the strike have claimed success, independent cable operators and head of various cable bodies like Vikki Chowdhry, Rakesh Dutta and Roop Sharma (head of Cable Operators’ Federation of India) dismissed the strike as a failure.
So much so that in a joint statement these three have pointed out that “some people (MSO and their distributors) in the Indian cable industry, just because of their vested interests, are trying to instigate the operators to go on strikes in order to protest against the increase in service tax.”
The blackout did not affect Mumbai as many of the city’s cable operators continued with their service. The fact that the dominant Hinduja Group MSO InCableNet distanced itself from the strike didn’t help the strike call either.
Cable Operators and Distributors Association (CODA) president Anil Parab said CODA backed out from the strike last night after the finance ministry called for a meeting to discuss the issues.
“We will decide our future course of action after the talks with the ministry,” Parab said.
Consumer Action Network chairman Ahmad M Abdi pointed out that the strike call by India Cable TV Forum was against a 2003 Mumbai High Court order which banned cable TV blackouts and mass disconnections.
The All India Cable TV Forum, a body comprising some big MSOs and industry bodies in various states, yesterday gave a call for an indefinite strike in the cable industry to protest against the imposition of service tax on the industry and bringing with the tax net MSOs too from this year. While INCablenet stayed away from the stir call, Chowdhry, Dutta and Sharma have said that the last mile operators are already paying a tax for the last four years and this service tax is levied on consumers. Therefore, it is the consumer bodies that should come forward in opposing these taxes, the joint statement says, adding, “the MSOs are unnecessarily opposing the service tax issue, as now only they have been brought under the tax net.”
Interestingly, Star, which is a minority equity stakeholder in Hathway Datacom, according to industry sources, has dashed off a letter to the Raheja company seeking clarifications on the reasons leading to it supporting the strike call. It has also been pointed out that Star was not consulted while the decision to support the stir was taken by Hathway.
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.
