GECs
Hathway promotes Milind Karnik
MUMBAI: For long, Hathway Cable & Datacom old-timer Milind Karnik has been mandated with running the cable TV MSO’s secretarial operations as company secretary. Now he has been given a new role: as the head of commercial – all India and also the western India head. Karnik has been with Hathway since 1998 and he has resigned from his earlier position to take up the post, Hathway informed the BSE on 6 December. Replacing him is Ajay Singh, who has been appointed as company secretary and compliance officer.
Singh has an experience of 17 years. He has moved to Hathway from Real Networks India. Prior to this, Singh has worked with Drishtee Dot Com, Rangs Technologies and PACL India.
While Karnik was already handling the commercial business in the western region, in his new role, he will be handling the all India commercial business for Hathway.
“With digitisation, one needs to get the consumer billing and consumer application form in place for phase I and II respectively. This is a huge task. Also, in my new role, I will be working towards successfully completing phase III and phase IV of digitisation in western India,” informs Karnik, who plans to focus more on DAS phase III and IV now.
Karnik will work with Hathway subsidiaries including Hathway Bhawani and Hathway Rajesh as well. He will serve on the GTPL Hathway board.
Karnik will also handle commercial business in hotels which has a different tariff structure. “Hotels are still not digitised and so I will be concentrating on that as well. We need to explain to the 3-Star and 5-Star properties where room base is 50 and above that digital feed is better than analogue,” he says.
“In the case of hotels, we also aim to focus on pay per view, which is a niche segment. That apart, I will be dealing with internet bandwidth in the commercial segment,” he concludes.
GECs
Samsung TV Plus launches Kings of Comedy channel
New free FAST channel brings iconic Hindi comedy shows to millions of Samsung Smart TV owners.
MUMBAI: Samsung TV Plus has just turned up the laughter volume and it’s completely free. The leading free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) service in India has launched Kings of Comedy, a premium comedy channel featuring some of the country’s most beloved primetime shows. Available exclusively on Samsung TV Plus, the channel delivers back-to-back hits including Comedy Nights with Kapil, Khatra Khatra Khatra, and Comedy Nights Bachao, with no login or subscription required.
The launch marks a milestone for free streaming in India, offering audiences a dedicated comedy destination directly from their Samsung TV home screen. It arrives as Samsung TV Plus India celebrates its 5th anniversary, during which the service has grown its monthly active users by 42 per cent and more than doubled its total viewing hours. The platform now offers over 180 free channels across 14 languages.
Samsung TV Plus India general manager and head of business development Kunal Mehta said, “Comedy is the heartbeat of Hindi entertainment, and Kings of Comedy brings together the shows Indians already love, completely free on their Samsung TV. Our focus remains the same take the content people know and make it effortless to access.”
Globally, Samsung TV Plus has surpassed 100 million monthly active users across more than 4,500 channels, solidifying its position as one of the world’s leading free streaming services.
Kings of Comedy is now available on all compatible Samsung Smart TVs. For viewers seeking non-stop laughter without any cost, this new channel delivers a royal treat proving that sometimes the best entertainment really does come with no strings (or subscriptions) attached.
