Cable TV
Carriage fees have dropped in 2018 : Chrome Carriage Optimizer Report
BENGALURU: Carriage fees have dropped by approximately 5 per cent for existing deals and by about 7 per cent for new channel launches is one of the highlights of the seventh edition (R7) of the Chrome Carriage Optimizer Annual Report (CCO) by Chrome Data Analytics & Media (Chrome DAM).
CCO gives headend wise average carriage fee spends for placing channels across individual cable networks. It takes into account the footprint of individual cable networks and co-relates the same to the average carriage fee spend for a particular band/frequency on that particular network. Chrome DAM says that the CCO report entails region-wise, market-wise and MSO wise carriage fee spends further broken down to individual cable operator level across the country.Chrome DAM claims that CCO is a tool actively used by broadcasters to indicate the carriage fee return on investments across cable networks in 3300 plus cities of India.
Chrome DAM CEO Pankaj Krishna said, “While all three leaders uphold divergence against RIO, the verdict will take some more time to see the light. Even phase IV attributed much less alteration against what was anticipated, as the carriage trend continues to be where it was in FY 2016 to 17. As per the Chrome CCO R7, the carriage fees have dropped by an average of ~7 per cent nationally over the last one year with the CCO Cost per Subscriber (CPS) coming down from Rs 7.17 to Rs 6.75 – (which as per TRAI was to ideally be a CPS of 20 paisa). With rural gaining more significance and emerging as a tie breaker on the viewership front, the need is to understand the structure of the deals to optimise the distribution investments, and hence the Chrome Carriage Optimiser – R7 to map the headend wise carriage fee spends for placing channels across individual cable networks, the objective of which is to empower the broadcasters with an independent audit across cable networks in 3300+ cities of India”.
The highlights of CCO R7 include:
- The carriage fees have dropped by about 5 per cent for existing deals and approximately 7.per cent for the new launches.
- As compared to R6, the CCO Cost per Subscriber (CPS) has come down from Rs 7.17 to Rs 6.75 – (As per TRAI the CPS was to be 20 paisa)
- North has emerged as the costliest region in terms of carriage fee/deals.
- The gap between CCO for existing and new launches has reduced over the years owing to digitization and increase in bandwidth of the networks.
- DEN commands the highest CCO amongst national MSOs, followed by Siti and GTPL.
- Coverage of networks in R1 to R7 has grown by 1509 per cent (from 200 to 3218).
Top lines 1) National Top lines
a. Top MSOs – Subs* vs. CPS** – Ranking
b. Top MSOs – Subs vs. CPS – %Gain/Drop
According to Chrome DAM R7: 2) Top 2 MSOs across metros
a. Delhi
i. Subs – DEN & Hathway
ii. CPS – DDC & DEN
b. Mumbai
i. Subs – Hathway – & IN Cable
ii. CPS – DEN & YOU
c. Kolkata
i. Subs – Siti & GTPL
ii. CPS- GTPL & Siti
d. Chennai
i. Subs – SCV & TCCL
ii. CPS – SCV & TCCL
e. Bangalore
i. Subs – Hathway & Siti
ii. CPS – DEN & Hathway
f. Hyderabad
i. Subs – Hathway & Siti
ii. CPS – Siti & IN
(Source: Chrome Carriage Optimizer, Round 7, June 2018)
3) Top 2 MSOs across Regions
a. North
i. Subs – Den & Fastway
ii. CPS – Fastway & DEN
b. East
i. Subs – Siti & GTPL
ii. CPS – Ortel & GTPL
c. West
i. Subs – GTPL & Hathway
ii. CPS – DEN & GTPL
d. South
i. Subs – ARASU & Siti
ii. CPS – SCV & TCCL
e. Central
i. Subs – SR & Siti
ii. CPS – DIGI & Hathway
(Source: Chrome Carriage Optimizer, Round 7, June 2018)
4) Genre-wise Carriage Index
a. News – 100 per cent
b. GEC – 82 per cent
c. Music – 88 per cent
d. Movies – 86 per cent
(Source: Chrome Carriage Optimizer, Round 7, June 2018)
Subs* – Active Subscribers attached to network
CPS** – Cost per Subscriber by network
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.







