Cable TV
Den Networks appoints Manish Dawar as Group CFO
MUMBAI: Multi system operator (MSO) Den Networks has appointed Manish Dawar as its group chief financial officer (CFO) as the company steps up its transformation into a diversified B2C enterprise.
Dawar joins Den from the Vedanta Group where he served as CFO for Konkola Copper Mines since September 2012.
He has occupied board level positions since 1997 and has extensive experience ranging from start-ups to turnaround environments, listed and private companies, change management, dealing with regulators and corporate governance amongst others areas.
Den chairman and managing director Sameer Manchanda said, “It is our pleasure to welcome a veteran professional like Manish in our fold. His rich experience with some of the world’s largest consumer goods companies will be invaluable as Den embarks on a trajectory of rapid growth in digital cable, broadband internet and new initiatives and transforms itself into a B2C brand.”
He is a qualified Chartered Accountant and Company Secretary with over two decades’ experience in various senior level finance and business roles primarily in consumer oriented companies. He has served across geographies covering both India and global markets.
Dawar has spent over 10 years at Reckitt Benckiser, a diversified multinational consumer goods company operating in the health, hygiene and home products segments, where he was the senior vice president – group controller based out of the company’s corporate headquarters in the UK. Prior to this, he served as the regional finance director for Reckitt’s South Asia business and the CFO and company secretary for its Indian operations.
Before this, he spent nearly seven years at Reebok where he served as country manager and was responsible for the launch of the Rockport brand in India and South Asia. He also served as the CFO and company secretary for Reebok in India following a stint as regional controller for Reebok’s New Markets region. He started his career at Hindustan Unilever where he spent over five years in various roles.
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.
