Cable TV
Health channel Care TV off air
MUMBAI: Care TV, a health channel floated by Tanu Healthcare Ltd, has shut down transmission due to non payment of dues to VSNL. The channel had run up uplinking charges to VSNL following a dispute over a deal for the sale of the Care TV brand.
Tanu Healthcare had sold the brand and logo of the channel to Take Care TV, which ran the operations (programming, marketing and distribution of Care TV) for eight months from January 2004. But in August, Tanu served a legal notice, accusing Take Care of not paying for the acquisition of the brand. And in February 2005, the channel was off air as VSNL had not been paid uplink fees over a long period.
Take Care TV is planning to sue Tanu Healthcare for damages worth Rs 100 million, an amount which it claims it had invested towards programming, marketing and distribution of the channel. “Tanu had promised to grant us a no objection certificate for use of uplinking facility for Care TV from VSNL to Thaicom satellite. We were also assured by Tanu promoters to do all acts of support that is required to get clearance from the information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry. The payment was to be made by us, subject to these conditions. Nothing was done in this regard. We are moving the court as it is a case of fraud. We want to recover the investments made by us,” says Take Care promoter Atul Saraf.
Tanu Healthcare promoter GK Agrawal, however, dismisses Saraf’s charges. “We have initiated legal action as we did not receive the consideration amount. The promoter of Take Care has now launched a health channel,” he says.
Saraf has launched 7 Star Care after obtaining permission from the information and broadcasting ministry. The health channel is on the global beam of Thaicom and is uplinked from Bangkok.
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.
