Cable TV
JAINHITS to invest Rs 1,500 crore on 3,000 mini headends by Dec 2014
KOLKATA: JAINHITS, a provider of headend-in-the-sky (HITS) based services to cable operators, would invest Rs 1,500 crore for setting up over 3,000 mini down-link headends in 640 districts across the country by December 2014.
“We plan to invest Rs 1,500 crore on the installation of mini downlink headends. We have partnered with Motorola (now ARRIS) for technology and Intelsat for satellite engagement,” JAINHITS’ National Sales Head Jeet Narayan Singh told Indiantelevision.com, on the sidelines of ‘Cable TV Show 2014’.
With the county set to witness digitalisation of around 100 million homes by the end of the current year, the company is looking at a market share of around 25 per cent.
Singh did not elaborate on the sources of the funds needed for setting up of the mini headends.
“From May onwards, we aim to install 200-300 headends every month,” he said.
The company would also strengthen its presence in the growing eastern India market. Singh said the eastern Indian market has more than 25 million television homes, providing a significant growth opportunity for the company.
Talking about headends in the eastern region, Singh said JAINHITS has already installed 20 headends in the eastern region and four of them are already operating in West Bengal alone. Including these, JAINHITS has so far installed 250 mini headends.
“Our DTN (direct to network) service based on the headed-in-the-sky offers triple service offering including video, voice and data,” he said.
Currently, JAINHITS offers more than 250 television channels and plans to soon provide full HD and multi-screen services. “We plan to offer 100 HD channels in 2 phases,” he said.
“We aim to convert the LCOs (local cable operators) to MSOs (multi-system operators) with minimum cost and provide all end-to-end solutions for digital cable and broadband services,” he said.
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.
