Cable TV
Incablenet to offer digital set-top-boxes free on trial basis
MUMBAI: Facing an uphill task to sell digital set-top boxes (STBs), Hinduja-owned, Incablenet, has decided to offer them free on a trial basis to their direct subscribers.
The multi system operator (MSO) plans to deploy the boxes to all its 50,000 direct subscribers in Mumbai and 15,000 in Delhi. The STBs will be offered free for a month so that the subscribers can get a digital experience and be lured to buy the boxes, says IndusInd Media & Communications director-in-charge, Ravi Mansukhani. “We will be deploying these boxes in all our direct points. We hope the one-month digital experience will persuade our subscribers to buy the boxes. We want our digital cable TV service to reach a reasonable volume,” he adds.
Incablenet is offering to its digital cable TV subscribers 173 channels including 16 audio channels. By placing more channels, the MSO hopes to convert its analogue subscribers. “With our cable pipes choked, we are not able to offer new channels in our analogue system. This can get accommodated in our digital service,” Mansukhani says.
Is the cable network planning to offer exclusive content channels for its digital subscribers? “We have to first reach a minimum density of STBs, at least in one city, before we can offer thematic channels. We have a huge library of movies. We can design a movie channel without commercial breaks. We can also premiere movies on these channels,” says Mansukhani.
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.
