Cable TV
DEN Networks exits TV home shopping channel business
MUMBAI: It’s focusing on its core competence: cable TV distribution and broadband. Three years after it announced its intention to get into TV home shopping, the Samir Manchanda-promoted multi systems operator Den Networks Ltd is now exiting from it.
The company had launched a channel called DEN Snapdeal Home Shop in 2016 (in partnership with the ecommerce site) only to have its partner exit from it in March 2017.
DEN Networks has now signed a deal with Noida-based Vijender Singh promoted Pimex Broadcast under which the latter will be acquiring 100 per cent of Macro Commerce – the company which runs the home shopping channel. Singh is also one of the directors of Pantel Technologies which manufacture telephones, mobile handsets, and tablets and computers.
Pimex will take over all the existing liabilities and dues of Macro and both together aspire to be one of the significant players in the TV shopping business, says the DEN Networks press statement to the Bombay stock exchange (BSE). The name of DEN and Snap deal will be dropped off from the branding.
DEN has already made provisions for its investment in Macro in its books of accounts in the previous financial year and hence, there will not be any further impact in the profit and loss account, points out the company’s statement to the BSE.
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.
