Cable TV
Guwahati gets 60 days extension in DAS Phase III
MUMBAI: The tussle between the judiciary and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) for the Digital Addressable System (DAS) Phase III deadline continues even as the official deadline of 31 December, 2015 has passed by.
After Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim, Maharashtra and Odhisa, now Kamrup District under which comes Guwahati has received an extension of 60 days to implement DAS.
The office of District Magistrate, Kamrup Metropolitan District: Guwahati after perusing the letter submitted by Greater Guwahati Cable TV Operators Association general secretary Shwarupananda Bharali, in the interest of general public and the cable TV viewers, has extended the transmission of the analogue signals for a period of 60 days.
A cable operator on condition of anonymity informs Indiantelevision.com that Kamrup has over three lakh Phase III subscribers and the seeding process is very slow. He further adds, “The set top box (STB) manufacturers are not taking orders now. They are asking us to wait for at least three to four days more. After they receive the order, they will take at least 20 more days to deliver. Hence we welcome the honourable DC’s decision and hope that brings some respite.”
The analogue signals are restored now in the vicinity but were totally blacked out on 1 – 2 January, 2016. “There were many cases of public outrage, physical harassment but thankfully no report of loss of life or property were received,” added another cable operator.
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.
