Cable TV
Karnataka LCOs approach High Court to seek stay of DAS Phase III
NEW DELHI: Having a ripple effect of sorts after Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim, Maharashtra, Odhisa and Guwahati, now it looks like Karnataka is all set to follow suit to get a court extension on the Digital Addressable System (DAS) Phase III deadline.
On 8 January, the Karnataka High Court is all set to hear a petition filed by the Karnataka Cable TV Operators Association for a stay on implementation of Phase III in view of the low seeding of set top boxes (STBs), problems with interconnect agreements and other issues.
As was reported earlier by Indiantelevision.com, the High Courts have already given extensions for various periods in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Maharashtra, Orissa, Sikkim, and Telangana, apart from Tamil Nadu where prolonged legal cases have been pending since Phase I.
Meanwhile, senior officials in the Information and Broadcasting Ministry today met legal experts to consider options before it to counter these orders even as sources in the Ministry told this website that the orders given so far will be implemented until a counter action is found.
One of the option before the Government is to ask the Supreme Court to bar any challenge to Phase III in various High Courts as this is a policy issue and the apex court had itself ruled earlier that it would not interfere in matters of policy. The second option is to oppose each case in the respective High Court, which is being done.
While insisting that there will be no extension of the switch off of analogue signals beyond 31 December, 2015, the Ministry is also making a more realistic assessment of the seeding of STBs.
Meanwhile, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is awaiting counter suggestions before it comes out with a model interconnect agreement by mid-January.
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.
