Cable TV
GTPL Hathway appoints Viren Thakkar as new chief financial officer
MUMBAI: GTPL Hathway , one of the major players in the Indian cable TV and broadband industry, has appointed Viren Thakkar as chief financial officer of the company. The appointment ,which will come into effect from 2nd July, was posted on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) website.
Earlier this month, the former CFO of the company Jayanta Pani resigned from his post after spending around one and half year in the company. Pani’s last working day at GTPL, where he joined in November 2008, will be 30th June.
Viren Thakkar , a chartered accountant and a cost accountant, started his career in 1991 with Anil Starch Products Limited, an Ahmedabad-based Lalbhai Group company.
The newly appointed CFO has over 27 years of experience in corporate finance, cost control, budgeting, internal control and audit and corporate planning. Earlier, he has worked as CFO in Roquette Riddhi Siddhi Private Limited. He had the responsibility of India, Middle East and Africa Region.
Between 2007 and 2012, Viren Thakkar was general manager – finance at Torrent Power Limited, a part of Ahmedabad-based Torrent Group. He used to manage the finance, accounts, treasury operations, costing and taxation direct and indirect) at corporate level for Torrent Power and group companies. Along with that He was also involved in business development activities and handled insurance portfolio at the group level.
Other than that, the experienced professional was also associated with Doshion Limited (Ahmedabad), Southern Range Nyanza Limited (Uganda), and Gujarat Telephone Cables Limited (Ahmedabad).
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Jayanta Pani Resigns as CFO of GTPL Hathway
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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.
