Cable TV
Hathway owes Rs 70 million, ESS switches off
MUMBAI: ESPN Star Sports (ESS) has discontinued services of its two channels to Hathway cable network in Delhi, Bangalore and Ludhiana due to non payment of dues.
Hathway has total outstanding worth around Rs 70 million, ESPN Software India sales and marketing vice president Sricharan Iyengar tells indiantelevision.com. “We have switched off signals in three cities, but this can extend to other areas where they are defaulting.”
The services to Asianet in Kerala are also discontinued as the dues have mounted to around Rs 25 million, adds Iyengar.
When contacted, Hathway Cable & Datacom chief executive officer K Jayaraman puts the outstanding figures as “baseless and wrong.”
The annual service agreement between ESPN Software India Pvt. Ltd. and Hathway has also expired on 30 November in Delhi. The agreement in Mumbai will expire later this month. “Despite numerous attempts and meetings, it is now apparent, judging from the demands being made by Hathway, that they are not serious about renewing the contract or showing our channels. We are left with no choice. We have discontinued services since Friday. ” says Iyengar.
In Banglore, ESS has switched off signals, alleging Hathway to have breached its contract. “Hathway is illegally supplying feed to hotels and commercial places in Bangalore,” says Iyengar.
Stressing on the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (Trai’s) recommendation that consumers can’t be charged for the channels that the cable network has dropped out, ESS has advised to deduct Rs 39.70 (the price of the ESPN and Star Sports channels) from their monthly cable payout to Hathway.
ESPN and STAR Sports will be showcasing the India-Bangladesh cricket matches and claims to have all international cricket between December and February, 2005. This will be followed by Pakistan (Videocon Cup winners) tour of Australia (world Champions) where they will play 3 Test matches and as many as 15 ODIs in a triangular series involving West Indies (ICC champions). Besides, it has the live telecast of European soccer from English, Spanish and the UEFA Champions league.
“The icing on the cake would be telecast of the inaugural ‘Premier Hockey League’ starting 13 January, 2005, and the Australian Open tennis tournament in January 05,” says Iyengar. However, ESS has no India cricket content for a long time after the Bangladesh series.
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.
