Cable TV
Discovery Travel & Living’s new interactive series ‘5 Takes’ starts 5 April
MUMBAI: Come April, in an unique cross platform event involving Internet, television and mobile, the lifestyle channel Discovery Travel and Living presents a pioneering 13 episode interactive television series, 5 Takes. It chronicles the journey of five young travelers on the adventure of a lifetime with one mission: to share their experiences with the world through their five varied perspectives.
After many successful series like Globe Trekker, Trailblazers, Faking it, American Chopper and Biker Build Off, Discovery Travel and Living captures their target group of urban 18 to 45 years age group with yet another new series 5 Takes. The series will air every Wednesday, from 5 April till 28 June at 8 pm.
Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Discovery Networks India vice president- Lifestyle Networks Aditya Tripathi says, ” 5 Takes is an unique reality programme adopting travel as the theme. Its distinct interactive concept would further engage the viewer. Extending television programming to the Internet, mobile or into the Interactive TV space is an exciting development and will allow a viewer-friendly alliance of television and interactivity.”
The five travel journalists (TJs), armed with video cameras, laptops and US$50 a day, will visit 12 cities across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan in 12 weeks. The TJs are Gabe, Josh, Renee, Tiffany and Tony.
Meet the TJs -Tony, Renee, Josh, Tiffany and Gabe.
Coming from diverse backgrounds, the TJs describe their adventures in these incredible cities, and the life-changing experiences they have along the way. Gabe is the DJ from Colorado, Josh lives in Los Angeles to pursue a career in the entertainment industry, Renee works as an Internet manager and also volunteers as an adult literacy tutor in NewYork, Tiffany is currently working full time assisting the general manager of a hotel and has a part-time job assisting a real estate team and Tony is the introspective and impulsive bartender from Washington, D.C.
The TJs will travel through various destinations for 5 Takes like
Sydney, Cairns, Perth, Northern Territory and Melbourne/Byron Bay in Australia, Auckland, Wellington and Queenstown in New Zealand, Singapore, Taipei, Hong Kong, Thailand and Cambodia.
What makes this show different is that it is the Discovery Travel & Living online community at travelandlivingtv.com.au/5takes that will decide the last cities the TJs should visit in Australia and Asia, and suggest what the TJs should do in every city they visit. In effect, it is the online community that will set the itinerary and drive the show.
The TJs will also be posting their personal blog daily as well as creating a video log (vlog) once a week to let viewers know how they are faring. This online element will happen in real time, enabling the community to have a concrete impact on the TV show that follows just seven days later.
On promoting the new initiative, Tripathi says, “The activity will be promoted through on-air promos on the channel. Additionally, there will be online initiatives as well (e-mailers).”
Apart from India, the international territories airing the programme include Australia, New Zealand, South East Asia, Taiwan and United Kingdom. Produced by Rosenblum Associates, 5 Takes is also unique as there is no “voting off” or scheming to win the big prize and there is no “winner” as there is no prize to win. At its core, the series is an immersion into a two-month-long summer trip by five young travelers.
Talking of the mobile network that viewers can use to participate or download programme related information, Tripathi adds, “India’s mobile operator Hutch is the participating network for this series. The voting is open to all users in India. The Indian audience will also be able to download wallpaper and text content from the 5 Takes programme through the Hutch portal.”
Hutch users will receive a response message to the vote that will direct them to the Hutch WAP portal. The voting begins from 1 April and runs till 7 April. The short code for India is 6365.
The keywords for the first vote are: Viewers can visit http://www.travelandlivingindia.com/5takes/ to read the TJs daily blogs and see the vlog.
5 Takes will have a repeat telecast on Thursdays at 4 pm and Fridays at 12 pm.
5 ME for Melbourne (5
5 BB for Byron Bay (5
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.
