Cable TV
International firms should localise but creative consistency is imperative
MUMBAI: With the world eye on India, more and more global companies are setting foot here in order to flourish in a nascent but booming market. In a scenario like this, it is imperative for companies to localize and manage their brands according to Indian sensibilities.
The session titled ‘Managing an International Icon Brand’ had speakers from Walt Disney and Cartoon Network throwing light on the strengths and weaknesses of international icon brands and personalities in local Asian markets.
The Walt Disney Company vice president retail sales and marketing and emerging markets Asia Pacific Ken Chaplin listed the four Bs of branding as badges, bonus, beacon and best bet. “The missing ingredient here is that of love. The reason why brands won’t cut it anymore is because they are worn out from overuse, no-longer mysterious, they don’t understand consumers anymore, they have been captured by formula and they are smothered by conservatism,” he said.
Chaplin explained the meaning of a ‘Lovemark’ saying it is “when a brand experiences loyalty beyond reason from consumers, is owned by the consumers who love them, moves beyond irresistible to irreplaceable and moves from most respected brand to most loved.”
He pointed out that a company will only make money when loyal, heavy users use their products all the time. “Having a long term love affair is better than having a short term relationship,” he said.
Chaplin pointed out Disney’s nine priorities for managing an international icon brand. They are as follows:
Get people to experience our best entertainment products
Do a good job branding
Make local content live up to the brand
Keep the brand fresh and broadly relevant
Make the brand’s commercial exploitation positive for consumers
Keep the right company
Evangelize the brand, inside and outside the company
Take the floor with the press
Cartoon Network Enterprises Asia Pacific executive director Sashim Parmanand said, “Brands are not names, symbols or designs but rather they are personality of the product. All brands have specific values and it is these values that make up the different facets of a brand.”
The key thing, she pointed out, was to know your product and target market. “Once that is clear, research and market testing is important. A brand should gain local insights through researching target demographics and then develop a positioning statement for the brand,” she said.
Another important thing to keep in mind is that the brand positioning and creative process around the same is consistent. “One should localize but at the same time creative consistency is imperative,” Parmanand added.
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.
