Cable TV
Cable war erupts in Mumbai
Mumbai is facing a round of cable rivalry and war. Reportedly, underworld kingpin Chhota Rajan has reportedly being threatening the former minister of state Ramdas Kadam and his brother Sadanand Kadam who run a cable network, Sai Cable Network, affiliated with the InCable breakaway, Win Cable, in the Dahisar-Borivali-Kandivli area in northern Mumbai, which almost has a monopoly in the locality. They have reportedly been asked to forego their stake in Sai Cable Network and merge it with Seven Star Cable network which is said to be run by Rajan front man Kashi-Pashi.
Another incident was reported from the Sion-King Circle area in north Mumbai. The Hinduja run cable network, InCableNet,set up a head-end in the area and roped in a Chhota Rajan frontman to operate from there. This apparently has ruffled the feathers of sub operators affiliated with InCableNet in the locality who have switched over to InCable arch rival Siticable. These operators – about 32 of them – used to take a signal feed from another Hinduja headend located in the suburb of Mahim.
A Hinduja spokesperson agreed that InCable had set up a new headend but it was done to improve the signal available to suboperators and also to be in a position to offer them southern Indian language channels on the prime band which cable TV subscribers had been demanding. Siticable officials, however, dismissed the report of any shifting loyalties saying that everything was normal in the locality.
The lucrative cable trade which commands a lot of revenues and huge profits has always been plagued by disputes and wars. It has since the beginning of cable TV in India been influenced by politicians and the underworld. It however had appeared united when all the cable TV networks in Mumbai blacked out ESPN-Star Sports a couple of months ago. The unity has since fractured and the bickering amongst the cable TV operators is once again become public.
The trade will become more lucrative with the introduction of broadband internet access. Everyone wants to grab their share of the pie which is worth around Rs 45 billion as of now.
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.
