Cable TV
Hinduja’s NXT Digital tots 1 million subscribers in 3 weeks
MUMBAI: In a short span of three weeks, Hinduja Group’s headend in the sky (HITS) venture – NXT Digital has signed up as many as one million analogue TV households in phase III markets.
Grant Investrade Limited managing director Tony D’silva said, “In just over three weeks since NXT Digital was announced, it has already been signed up to reach one million analogue TV households in phase III markets through LMOs and MSOs who have opted for our services.”
Over the last 21 days, the HITS player has reached out to the cable fraternity across several cities. “The fraternity is extremely excited about NXT Digital,” he said.
LMOs and MSOs, according to D’silva, see NXT Digital as a partner that will not only help them make the mandated transition from analogue to digital, but remain independent and owners of the networks they have built with sheer dint of hard work over the years.
The roll-out of digital addressable systems (DAS) in phase III and IV markets across 110 million TV households is being seen as the biggest and the most significant step for the media and entertainment industry in India.
A state-of-the-art broadcast facility in Noida has been designed and purpose-built to provide top quality service, which will roll out in end-August this year. While the satellite-based service will have a national footprint, in view of the deadline for DAS rollout, Grant Investrade is concentrating on the phase III and IV markets for its marketing and subscription drive to enable the cable fraternity provide digital services there.
D’silva said, “NXT Digital will empower and enable the distribution fraternity including LMOs and MSOs to offer a world of exciting digital services to their end-subscribers in all the analogue households across markets. Crucially, NXT Digital will not only help the LMOs and MSOs go digital as per government mandated standards and within the set deadlines, but, throughout the process, help them be independent and retain the ownership of their network.”
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.
