Cable TV
IT, Entertainment industries complement each other:Premji
MUMBAI: A keynote address on the first day of Frames, the convention for the business of entertainment, was given by Wipro’s Azim Premji. He spoke about how technology benefits the entertainment industry and how they complement each other.
Wipro chairman and managing director Azim Premji and United International Pictures CEO and chairman and UK Films Council export and import chairman Stewart Till gave the keynote address at the plenary session of FICCI Frames.
“Entertainment and IT complement each other. There is convergence happening between entertainment, IT and communications industries. This is good as all three can be economic growth drivers. Entertainment has to reinvent itself. While entertainment has been about telling stories whether on film or television, the variety and quality of those stories as well as the delivery platforms will change,” said Premji.
While Premji spoke on ‘The coming of the ICE age,’ Till spoke on how Indian films can enjoy more success around the world and how can Hollywood films increase their box office in India.
“The overseas market for Indian films is around $150 million from the 20 million NRIs abroad. Producers should be encouraged to make cross over films to cater to address people from other ethnicities,” Till said.
He listed out five points that producers should keep in mind to cater to a larger audience. They are as follows:
Adopt the Chinese model, wherein films like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon were made.
Adopt the Korean and Japanese model to achieve excellence in a specific genre like horror.
Add American and European actors in the film
Improve production quality
Build close relationships with American and European companies.
“The time is right to raise your horizons to the faraway horizons,” he emphasized. Elaborating on how Hollywood films can increase their box office in India¸ he said “The Hollywood movie titles should be released aggressively and the focus should be on marketing as many Hollywood titles as possible. Apart from that, producers should take advantage of the current multiplex scenario.”
He concluded, “In the next decade, Indian audiences will embrace more and more American and European films and Indian producers will realize the full potential of the worldwide market.”
Premji said that LPS were replaced by CDs. Colour TV sets replaced the black and white ones. In the film world, DVDs have replaced VCRs. News channels, he noted, have altered how newspapers function. “Apple’s success with the iPod has shown the convergence of entertainment and IT.
Technological changes have meant that the relationship between the content creators and consumers is changing. Consumers want better stories and a better reception. Digitisation in terms of bits and bytes allows them to get a better reception and also affords more choices. The influence of technology on animation and gaming is also being felt.
“As IT and entertainment continue to complement each other, interactivity will become increasingly important. One is already seeing this in the mobile realm where viewers can participate in game shows.
Mobility is becoming important. Studio employees need to communicate with each other while they are on the move. They need to talk on script plans etc.
One problem for the entertainment industry lies in getting trained people. Premji says that they need to touch base with colleges at the final year. Said he, “They could offer courses with guranteed jobs for those who show promise. India has benefited from the animation field as it has a cost advantage vis-a-vis the US. This has helped India become an outsourcing hub.”
Digitsation, he added, has helped the remastering of classics like Mughal E-Azham.
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.
