Cable TV
Dish TV, Hathway & Den amongst top 10 global Pay TV platforms
MUMBAI: Indian companies — Dish TV, Hathway & Den Networks are amongst the top 10 global Pay TV platforms, according to the Global Pay TV Operator Databook from Digital TV Research. For the top 10 operators, the global TV revenue share was 55 per cent in 2016, with the leading 50 operators taking three-quarters of the total.
Despite high number of subscribers but low ARPUs, Asia Pacific’s top operators are much less prominent in the PPV and subscription rankings with respect to revenue. This is where the US companies were leading – with six among the top 10 in 2016.
Subscribers of Pay-TV for 522 operators reached a significant number — 839 million in 2016 (that is, 87 per cent of the 959 million global subscribers).
In all, 50 leading operators accounted for two-thirds of the global Pay-TV subscribers by end-2016, Advanced Television reported. At that time, 10 million paying subscribers were using the services of 15 operators, according to the Databook.
Globally, China Radio & TV is the largest pay-TV operator with a huge gap. Chinese government policy to consolidate cable TV translated as China Radio becoming the globe’s largest by 2016 — accumulating 227 million subs.
Digital TV Research principal analyst Simon Murray said that India and China’s dominance of the top pay-TV operator rankings had been increasing, as US operators lost subs and the two nations subscriber bases swelled.
PPV and subs revenues for the 522 operators were around Rs 11.9 trillion (US$185 billion) in 2016. Around 30 pay-TV operators earned more than Rs 64.5 billion (US$1 billion) revenue.
MUMBAI: Indian companies — Dish TV, Hathway & Den Networks are amongst the top 10 global Pay TV platforms, according to the Global Pay TV Operator Databook from Digital TV Research. For the top 10 operators, the global TV revenue share was 55 per cent in 2016, with the leading 50 operators taking three-quarters of the total.
Despite high number of subscribers but low ARPUs, Asia Pacific’s top operators are much less prominent in the PPV and subscription rankings with respect to revenue. This is where the US companies were leading – with six among the top 10 in 2016.
Subscribers of Pay-TV for 522 operators reached a significant number — 839 million in 2016 (that is, 87 per cent of the 959 million global subscribers).
In all, 50 leading operators accounted for two-thirds of the global Pay-TV subscribers by end-2016, Advanced Television reported. At that time, 10 million paying subscribers were using the services of 15 operators, according to the Databook.
Globally, China Radio & TV is the largest pay-TV operator with a huge gap. Chinese government policy to consolidate cable TV translated as China Radio becoming the globe’s largest by 2016 — accumulating 227 million subs.
Digital TV Research principal analyst Simon Murray said that India and China’s dominance of the top pay-TV operator rankings had been increasing, as US operators lost subs and the two nations subscriber bases swelled.
PPV and subs revenues for the 522 operators were around Rs 11.9 trillion (US$185 billion) in 2016. Around 30 pay-TV operators earned more than Rs 64.5 billion (US$1 billion) revenue.
| Top 10 operators by subscribers (000) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ranking | Operator | Country | 2016 |
| 1 | China Radio & TV (total) | China | 226,535 |
| 2 | China Telecom (IPTV) | China | 52,038 |
| 3 | BesTV (IPTV) | China | 26,019 |
| 4 | AT&T (total) | USA | 25,065 |
| 5 | Comcast (total) | USA | 22,508 |
| 6 | Charter merged (total cable) | USA | 16,836 |
| 7 | Dish TV (satellite) | India | 13,582 |
| 8 | Hathway (total) | India | 13,300 |
| 9 | Den Networks (total) | India | 13,000 |
| 10 | DISH Network (satellite) | USA | 12,521 |
| Source: Digital TV Research | |||
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.
