Cable TV
InCablenet might get Zee-Turner signals from 14 May: Chandra
MUMBAI: InCablenet may well start receiving signals of all the 17 channels belonging to the Zee-Turner bouquet from 14 May 2003 onwards.
Speaking on the sidelines of a media briefing to announce an alliance with France TV and Silhouette Films to co-produce a film, Zee Telefilms CMD Subhash Chandra said he expected Hinduja group MSO InCablenet to settle its outstandings tomorrow (14 May). Zee Turner had switched off the signals from 6 May 2003 onwards over waht it said were long-pending payment dues.
Chandra also mentioned that Zee-Turner would also be issuing a notice to MSO Hathway Cable & Datacom (in which Star India officially has a 26 per cent stake) tomorrow on the issue of outstanding payments.
Zee’s action of issuing a notice to Hathway totally rubbishes allegations that are being made against the three major pay broadcasters – Zee, Star and Sony – by certain quarters that they are cartelising in order to fragment the InCablenet network in Mumbai.
An indiantelevision.com report dated 8 May quotes industry sources who say InCablenet’s total dues owed to different broadcasters are: ESS Rs 30 million, SET-Discovery Rs 40 million, Zee-Turner Rs 3.7 million and Star Rs 40 million plus.
Commenting on the switching off the Zee-Turner bouquet of channels, Zee Turner CEO Sunil Khanna was earlier quoted in the release as saying that they were forced to take this action as the outstandings had piled up.
Zee Turner is the largest television network in India with 17 television channels, which includes Zee TV, Zee Cinema, Zee News, Zee Music, Alpha Marathi, Alpha Punjabi, Alpha Bangla, Alpha Gujarati, Zee English, Zee MGM, trendz, CNN, CNBC, Cartoon Network and Reality TV.
Also read:
Zee Turner bouquet switched off InCableNet in Mumbai
Star also switches off InCableNet in Mumbai
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.
