Cable TV
Case by MSOs challenging Entertainment Tax to be heard on 27 May by DHC
NEW DELHI: Three multi-system operators were given interim relief in January in the entertainment case issue. In January, the case was adjourned to 13 March and today has further been adjourned to 27 May by the Delhi High Court. However, the HC said that the stay order issued earlier in January to multi-system operators in entertainment tax issue will continue.
DEN Networks, Hathway Cable & Datacom, and Siticable had moved the court seeking protection against the Entertainment Tax Officer’s order to pay entertainment tax.
Acting Chief Justice B D Ahmed and Mr Justice Siddharth Mridul gave the order on a plea by counsel for the petitioners.
DEN Networks, Hathway Cable & Datacom, Siti Cable and InCable were ordered to pay entertainment tax due since April 2013.
Orders were issued directing the four MSOs to file returns and deposit the pending tax amount with interest under the Delhi Entertainment and Betting Tax Act and Rules, 1996.
The MSOs argued that it was the local cable operator who should pay the entertainment tax. They had moved the Court to prevent any coercive action.
DEN and Hathway argued in the last hearing that they are not liable to pay entertainment tax from April since they have started consumer billing only from November. DEN also argued that the entertainment tax must be collected only on actual collections. The MSO also sought clarity from the tax department whether entertainment tax is paid on per subscriber or per set-top box (STB) basis. While Siti Cable adhered to pay entertainment tax, it challenged the quantum of the tax. IMCL
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.
