Cable TV
Hathway builds brand Special, adds two service categories
MUMBAI: Hathway Digital, a leading MSO, has announced the introduction of ‘Play My Play’ – an exclusive and first-ever kind of service on television featuring full-length plays for Hathway’s theatre-loving patrons, and ‘Hare Krsna’ focused on eternal well-being by bringing out the deep learnings associated with ISKCON.
Hare Krsna will be available initially only in Maharashtra with a subsequent rollout across India. Available under the Hathway Special brand, subscribers can view Hare Krsna and Play My Play at no additional cost for the first month starting 15 June. Later, a nominal price of Rs. 40 for Play My Play and Rs. 25 for Hare Krsna will be charged on a monthly basis. Hathway Special was launched earlier in February which made Hathway the first among MSOs to launch VAS.
Play My Play will bring to Indian homes the leisure of watching over 350 of the best and never before seen plays produced and dramatised for Indian theatre. The 24×7 service will screen plays in English, Hindi, across a range of genres and will feature plays by renowned writers like Premchand, Rabindra Nath Tagore, Shakesphere, Manto in addition to popular Bollywood writers like Piyush Mishra, D P Sinha, Danish Iqbal, Badal Sarkar and many more. Khidki, Perfect Wedding, Roop Aroop, Aik Machine Kabadi Ki, Aurangzeb, and Gang of Girls are a few plays available on Play My Play.
Hare Krsna on the other hand will be catering to the spiritually inclined and focus on transformation and wellbeing of its followers. This service will feature International music festivals, documentaries, human interest stories on how ISKCON has transformed lives, the most vivid and assorted Rath-Yatras from around the world, complete recitals of the Bhagavad Gita, lessons on SATVIK cooking, Kirtans, etc. It will also have a special section dedicated to kids with animated stories on Lord Krsna.
Hathway Video Business CEO T.S. Panesar said, “The success and continued positive response we have been receiving for Hathway Special reiterates the fact that we are living up to our promise of delivering unique v-added service. With the two launches, we will be adding two categories of services under the brand. We will continue to expand our service categories.”
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.
