Cable TV
Diddy inks reality cooking show deal with NBC
MUMABI: Hip-hop mogul, Sean “Diddy” Combs and Reville’s Ben Silverman will bring to NBC a five-night reality mini-series, Celebrity Cooking Showdown, taking elements from the Food Network’s Iron Chef America and ABC’s Dancing With the Stars.
The series will air 17 to 21 April. Celebrity Cooking Showdown is produced by Reveille in association with Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Bad Boy Entertainment.
It will match three celebrity chefs to train side-by-side with nine celebrities. After one-on-one coaching, the competition will play out in real time in front of a live studio audience as the stars race against the clock to complete their meal.
NBC Entertainment president Kevin Reilly said, “Celebrity Cooking Showdown is going to be a unique, high-energy take on the time-tested cooking genre that works consistently across the television landscape. It’s about great food, terrific personalities and big-time pressure.”
Executive producer and Reveille CEO Silverman added, “Cooking shows have commanded huge ratings around the world, and we can’t wait to bring this exciting new competitive format to primetime network TV.”
The celebrity chefs include Wolfgang Puck, Cat Cora (Food Network’s Iron Chef America) and Govind Armstrong (Table 8, Los Angeles). Names of several celebrities signing on will be announced later this week.
“The hottest trend right now is the art of cooking. Celebrities competing in the high-pressure arena of the world’s top chefs will make great television,” said Combs.
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.
