Cable TV
Kamal Hassan plugs ‘Virumaandi’ via cable ops
MUMBAI: Master of the craft Kamal Hassan has done it again. Instead of fuming at the cable operators who supposedly take away a sizeable number of audiences from cinema halls, Hassan has created one hour special trailers on his new movie to be screened via cable television in rural Tamil Nadu.
Hassan’s latest production, Virumaandi is reaching out to villages through 200 independent channels with an average base of 30,000 viewers each. A one-hour special on the movie, including an appeal from the actor to discourage piracy, aired twice every day, is part of the deal dished out to rural Tamil Nadu through cable TV.
“Instead of treating cable TV operators as enemies, it’s better to use them as branch offices, allies and vehicles of publicity,” the filmmaker told the Hindu BusinessLine. “Cable TV could be used as a legitimate dispersal system. It’s unexploited, not unconventional. It’s just that no one thought of it before. New technology has always been received with paranoia. It’s a new way of reaching people through the most watched medium.”
The content on the show will be updated every five days via Raajkamal International which has been contracted to take the promos to the villages. Live chats and video conferences with the movie’s actors are also on the cards. Hassan also plans to have contests and prizes sponsored by local shops and establishments to increase involvement.
The promotional activity will continue through cable TV for over a month. Hassan’s company has also tied up with Media Planet, a service provider with 60 channels. Hassan also plans to set up a call centre to enable anyone from Tamil Nadu to call for home delivery of tickets, at no extra cost. Towards the end of the campaign, Hassan himself will have telechats with fans from the remotest of towns, says the newspaper.
According to the report, there are over 1,200 independent cable TV operators, of whom only 600 are registered, in Tamil Nadu. “Out of the 600, we have selected 200 and provided them with the free content. So it’s all clean,” Hassan told Businessline.
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.
