Cable TV
Crutchfield develops website ahead of Fifa for Spaniards
MUMBAI: The integrated marketers of consumer electronic productsCrutchfield is on a full-speed breakaway towards 2006 Fifa World Cup Germany. Crutchfield is in the process to develop its Spanish-language website at http://www.crutchfieldenespanol.com to ensure that its Spanish-speaking customers will be able to enjoy the World Cup games in HDTV.
Soccer remains the world’s favorite sport, played by over 240 million players on 1.4 million teams throughout the world. Bigger than the Super Bowl and the Winter Olympics, this year’s World Cup will be the most-watched sporting event in the world, and for the first time it will be aired in high definition in the United States.
With more than 40 million Spanish-speaking people living in the United States, including some of the most knowledgeable and dedicated soccer fans in the world, US viewership of this year’s World Cup is expected to reach record numbers, informs an official release.
This year, with the games being broadcast in high-definition for the first time on ABC, ESPN HD, and ESPN2 HD, millions of soccer fans here in America will be able to watch every minute of their premier event unfold in unparalleled viewing quality.
The Fifa World Cup has the biggest television audience of any sports event in the world. During World Cup 2002, a cumulative audience of over 1 billion people in 215 countries watched the matches. The estimated cumulative audience for the 2006 event is expected to be in excess of 32 billion hours of television viewing. Millions of those expected viewers will be Spanish-speaking fans in the US.
“According to the Consumer Electronics Association, nearly 50 per cent of HDTV buyers cite high-definition sports programming as their primary motivation for upgrading their old analog television to an HDTV,” said Crutchfield senior home audio/video editor Steve Kindig. “Major sporting events like the Olympics and the Super Bowl present perfect opportunities to get the latest in viewing technology, and with the upcoming World Cup games to be broadcast in high-def for the first time, Crutchfield is stocking up on some of the best HDTVs on the market.”
Shopping for a new HDTV is now even easier with Crutchfield’s own TV Fit Finder. The TV Fit Finder, available through Crutchfield.com and Crutchfieldenespanol.com, enables consumers seeking a new television to quickly and easily identify every television that will fit within their existing entertainment center.
“Crutchfield’s Spanish-speaking Sales Advisors, who are available by phone, email, and online chat, will ensure that customers buy the right HDTV for his or her needs, and that the HDTV is in their home, installed, working properly, and delivering HD-quality colors and realistic images well in advance of the June 9, 2006 start. Acting now will ensure that on game day your favorite striker will be captured in ‘striking’ detail,” Kindig added.
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.
