Cable TV
CAS rollout must address credible monitoring of SMS: Dasgupta
The big question mark on the introduction of conditional access systems in India will be how to keep a check on the subscriber management systems (SMS) that are introduced by cable operators, SET India CEO Kunal Dasgupta said at a media briefing in Mumbai.
Though the press conference was to introduce cricketer Kapil Dev as the SET’s brand ambassador for the ICC Cricket World Cup, the hot topic was CAS. “Will the law make it mandatory to declare the subscriber base? And how do you control it to prevent manipulation? Dasgupta asks.
Dasgupta said he expected the the rollout of CAS in just the four metros to take at least a year after the expected passage of the Cable TV Networks (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2002 in the next session of Parliament in July.
Dasgupta pointed out that even post-CAS there would certainly be bundling of channels which would be offered as different packages to subscribers. And at the end of the day the channels which formed part of the best bundle of channels would be the ones that would pack in the most subscribers.
A point that Dasgupta made was that the introduction of CAS would hasten the entry of DTH into the country. Queried as to whether that wouldn’t in fact kill DTH because the high-end users would have all sorts of add-ons like interactivity offered to them Dasgupta disagreed. He said what was being envisioned now was essentially analog systems. To introduce digital systems was not as easy as was being made out, Dasgupta said. What was needed was not only headend upgradation as well as line upgradation. And if this was to happen across the country where cable had penetrated it would involve a cost of up to Rs 500 billion, Dasgupta said. According to Dasgupta, only Reliance was doing that kind of work at present.
Dasgupta said the success or failure of CAS would depend on how it was implemented. “I am sure the government will ensure that when CAS is introduced, services will not be disrupted,” Dasgupta concluded.
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.
