Cable TV
Jaipur LCOs to form cooperative, set up own headend
MUMBAI: Local cable operators (LCOs) feel threatened with compulsory digitisation of cable TV services. LCOs own the end subscribers, but do not have the bargaining power with broadcasters and also access to funding.
This has led to an increasing trend towards LCO consolidation, if not through the mergers and acquisitions route then through formation of associations and unions, especially in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Kerala and Karnataka, states the FICCI-KPMG media and entertainment industry report 2014.
Now, nearly 220 of the about 250 LCOs in Jaipur, Rajasthan have decided to come together to protect their business. The LCOs are looking at forming a cooperative and setting up their own headend.
The move comes as many LCOs are unhappy with the monopoly of the multi-system operators with the progressing digitisation.
“It is at a nascent stage, but we are tired of the MSO monopoly here in Jaipur and hence looking at setting up a cooperative and converting into an independent MSO,” says a cable operator from Jaipur who is currently taking feeds from Hathway Cable & Datacom.
The cooperative has been set up under the banner Jaipur Cable Operators Welfare Society. The LCOs are meeting regularly to finalise details.
While the initial investments will be made by the LCOs, they will also approach banks for loans to meet the investment demands. “We are unhappy with the way things are moving in the state. Neither the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India nor the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is ready to listen to us. And so we have decided to take this move,” says the LCO.
As of now, four lakh set top boxes have been seeded in the state. “The Jaipur cable operators are in talks with us as they are looking at setting up a cooperative. We will be meeting in April in Mumbai to discuss further,” informs Maharashtra Cable Operators Federation (MCOF) president Arvind Prabhoo.
It is not only in Jaipur that the LCOs are coming together to form cooperatives. While earlier such cooperatives were set up in Chennai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Kolkata, now LCOs are coming together in Mumbai, Jaipur, Jodhpur and parts of Madhya Pradesh to set up their own headends.
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.
