Cable TV
DD revenues Rs 5860 million till January 2006
NEW DELHI: Indian TV pubcaster Doordarshan has earned revenues of Rs 5857.4 million up to 31 January 2006 as compared to Rs 6652.7 million in 2004-05 and Rs 5302.3 million in 2003-04, information and broadcasting minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi informed the Lok Sabha (Lower House) recently.
Dasmunshi further said litigation with TV producers, who owe DD money (some of them have been blacklisted too), has not affected the quality of programmes telecast by them. Doordarshan considers their proposals again after their repayment plan of outstanding dues is approved.
Dasmunshi also pointed out that Prasar Bharati, managing DD and All India Radio, cannot be compared with other private channels. It is a public service broadcaster not motivated solely by commercial considerations, he stressed.
Still, the figures do seem on the lower side considering the fact that three high profile cricket series (Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa) were aired exclusively on DD last year. When I&B ministry officials’ attention was drawn to this fact, they admitted that the Rs 5860 million only partly includes cricket revenue. The officials clarified that some part of the cricket billing do not surface in the figure given up to 31 January. All those will figure later when the financial year ends on 31 March.
8,465 DTH boxes installed free
Meanwhile, Doordarshan has so far installed 8,465 DTH units free of cost for demonstration purposes in villages in the states of Chattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, North-East region, Rajasthan
and Uttaranchal.
The government has permitted Doordarshan to raise the number of TV channels in its subscription-free DTH bouquet from 33 to 50, Dasmunshi said.
Prasar Bharati has started examining the technical and commercial feasibility to further expand the capacity of its DTH platform to cover 100 channels.
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.
