Cable TV
GTPL Hathway signs grant of permission agreement with MIB for HITS
MUMBAI: In a bold move, GTPL Hathway is preparing to colonise India’s broadcast wilderness. The Reliance Industries-owned cable TV and broadband maverick secured ministry of information & broadcasting (MIB) approval in July 2024 to launch its Headend-In-The-Sky (HITS) project, with Rs 100 crore earmarked to execute it, subject to it being able to fulfill the laid-down guidelines.
Having met them successfully, the company inked a grant of permission agreement (GOPA) with the ministry on 27 March, securing a decade-long broadcast channel distribution mandate. The nerve centre? Ahmedabad for what could be a nationwide entertainment revolution. The company informed the Bombay stock exchange about the development through a regulatory filing.
Piyush Pankaj, the company’s chief strategy officer, had revealed during an analysts’ call in January 2025 that the project was 80 per cent complete. The idea was to target satellite-dark regions, particularly the infrastructure-starved northern territories through the HITS service..
The strategic thrust: by marrying cable TV and DTH technologies, GTPL aims to beam entertainment into the digital hinterlands where traditional infrastructure fears to lay its cables. It is believed that GTPL has leased twelve Telkomsat C-band transponders to broadcast the company’s digital dreams.
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.
