Cable TV
DirecTV signs deal for Viacom’s new jazz channel
MUMBAI: US media conglomerate Viacom’s subsidiary Bet is launching a jazz channel Bet J.
Bet has signed a deal with US pay-TV platform DirecTV for carriage. The broadcaster says that jazz, the purest and oldest form of American music, has both chronicled and celebrated the African-American journey. Today jazz is seen, heard and felt in a number of related genres including blues, soul, R&B, Caribbean and neo-soul music.
Bet chairman and CEO Debra L. Lee says, The African-American community looks to Bet to reflect the culture, and in doing so they have come to expect innovation and diversity in programming under our Bet Networks brand. We are happy to respond and to evolve to meet their needs.
Bet Digital Networks executive VP and GM Paxton Baker says, Our new chapter under Bet J will be even more exciting, enticing and multicultural. In fact, the J in our new network name is now more indicative of the complete musical and cultural Journey rather than only jazz.
DirecTV is launching Bet J to continue its tradition of providing the most exciting and unique programming for its customers. Bet J is available on Channel 330 on DirecTVs Total Choice Plus programming package. MTV Networks negotiated this carriage agreement as part of its affiliate sales and marketing representation of Bet Networks.
With the DirecTV launch, Bet J has built a total distribution platform that reaches approximately 21 million homes. In addition to DirecTV, other distributors already carrying Bet J, will now offer the revamped channel for viewers include Charter Communications, Cablevision, Comcast, Cox Communications and Time Warner Cable.
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.
