Cable TV
Chennai Corp sets CATV operators 31 August deadline for registration
CHENNAI: Cable TV operators are looking into the eye of the administration gun in Chennai. They have exactly a month to register themselves with the Chennai Corp. The deadline : 31 August. Registration means they have to give details about number of subscribers in each area that they have a presence in.
If they fail to do so, they would get a caning and strictures would be passed against them, says the AIADMK government. It says it is trying to regulate the Chennai CATV industry and ensure that entertainment tax is collected from CATV operators. Last year, it managed collections of just Rs 2.5 million for the entire year, when civic officials say it should be in the region of Rs 16 million per month, an estimate based on Rs 20 per month being collected from 800,000 operators in the city.
The AIADMK government had two months ago proposed a cable TV act for Tamil Nadu which would be applicable for the state. A move which had been booed by some as an attempt by Tamil Nadu megaforce Jayalalitha to break the hold that the Sun Network backed Sumangali Cable Vision (SCV) has on the Chennai public. Observers point out that the current diktat is another attempt to achieve those ends.
Jayalalalitha had in 1997 attempted to set up a master control room in Chennai but could not do so as she went out of power then. With the DMK government coming to power then, the Sun Network set up its SCV in double quick time.
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.
