Cable TV
CTMA’s Cable TV Show 2014 to begin in Kolkata tomorrow
KOLKATA: India is on the path of digitisation and if all goes well then by the end of this year the entire country will go digital. In that case, isn’t a cable TV show a good idea to make the industry aware of the new technology? Cable TV Equipments Traders & Manufacturers Association (CTMA) is organising its three-day annual satellite and cable television show 2014 from 12 to 14 March at the Netaji Indoor Stadium which will see the participation of nearly 10,000 parties. It will include cable operators, traders, manufacturers, channel partners, distributors, broadcasters from across the country as well as from Bhutan, Nepal, China and Bangladesh are expected to attend the show.
“Cable TV Show 2014 would showcase and promote latest products, technology, emerging trends and value added services in the cable television (CATV) sector,” said the exhibition chairman Pawan Jajodia.
This year more than 400 local cable operators (LCO) from Bangladesh are likely to participate in this show. All the major national multi-system operators (MSOs) along with the regional MSOs may also put up stalls at the show to make the public aware about their service potential and new services, said SitiCable Kolkata director Suresh Sethia.
“Eastern India, the hinterland being services by CTMA is having a TV base of more than 25 million TV homes beside another five million TV homes in the neighbouring countries of SAARC Region,” added Jajodia, who thinks that with the convergence of digital market of CATV, this platform has become versatile and potential.
The show will bring together all the existing and prospective manufacturers and vendors and the CATV service providers like MSOs, LCOs, broadcasters and traders and help them to expand their market. The Kolkata region itself has approximately 30 lakh digitised cable TV households.
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.
