Cable TV
Comcast snaps up ad tech company Visible World
NEW DELHI: As predicted by several media experts almost a decade earlier, the era of mergers and acquisitions has picked up pace with the big fish often either eating the small fish or letting it co-exist in partnership.
An interesting aspect of this is that large players in the information technology and broadcasting field who can develop technologies of their own find it cheaper to enter into agreements with other companies for this. And this trend is not just confined to India, but globally.
Visible World, a specialist in the addressable and programmatic advertising business, has been bought over by Comcast Cable.
Visible World will operate as an independent company and will continue to develop new services for existing companies and grow its customer base.
“For more than a decade, we have been focused on developing a portfolio of solutions that offer a wide variety of services to a wide range of customers. Comcast’s investment in our business will accelerate our ability to deliver on our vision and provide more open and efficient systems that will encourage more valuable and collaborative relationships across the TV ecosystem,” said Visible World CEO Seth Haberman.
“Visible World is a dynamic company and a real complement to our existing advanced advertising initiatives. Visible World offers a diverse spectrum of services that serve a variety of needs across the television advertising landscape,” added Comcast Cable Executive vice president and chief network officer John Schanz.
“This partnership reflects the business and technology trends we are seeing in the television industry today. We look forward to helping the talented Visible World team expand and accelerate their business and create more value for distributors, advertisers, agencies, programmers and affiliates,” Schanz added.
The terms of the deal were not disclosed. Earlier this year, Comcast acquired Freewheel, a company that personalizes and inserts video ads for a number of media companies, for $360 million.
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.
