Cable TV
Kolkata LMOs to join hands with smaller MSOs
KOLKATA: Cable TV industry in Kolkata is up for some change. The last mile owners (LMOs) who have for long been complaining about losing their consumers to the multi system operators (MSOs) because of digitisation, are now looking for different ways of retaining their customers. While it had started with setting up of cooperatives, the LMOs are now joining hands with the smaller MSOs, who are also DAS licence holders.
As part of this arrangement, a group of LMOs will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the MSO. While the group will have access to the headend, SMS and other backend services of the MSO, it will be free to create its own packages and also bill the consumers. This will also help the LMO to own its customers.
“We have already prepared an agreement with a DAS licence holder who will levy a minimum price against every set top box (STB) that we take from him. Joining of other LMOs is in progress,” said an enthusiastic LMO on condition of anonymity.
According to market sources, some of the MSOs that may get into such an arrangement are Sristi Cable TV Network, Kailash Cable Network, Meghbela Cable & Broadband Services and Barasat Cable TV Network. The smaller MSOs are looking at increasing their topline and bottomline and strengthening their presence in the region by partnering with the LMO group.
“LMOs will partner with DAS licence holders either by forming a cooperative or working independently with him using his network,” informs a cable TV industry source.
Meetings in this regard had started a year ago between the two parties operating in the KM area which currently has close to 33 lakh digitised cable TV homes. The LMOs will not be swapping the STBs in the current digitised homes, but will try and capture the new homes which have not yet been digitised.
The partnership will give the LMO the power to bill its subscribers, create packages based on consumers’ choice, and get a share of carriage fees as well as ownership of STBs.
Cable Operators Sangram Committee general secretary Apurba Bhattacharya while confirming the development said, “It is good that LMOs are looking for new business models to earn their living. The operators are happy to get into this space. We will run the business ourselves.”
LMOs in Kolkata are moving to this arrangement, since setting up of a headend not only takes time, but is expensive as well. “Setting up the headend requires a lot of permissions and an investment of some crores, so it is better to get into partnership with existing DAS licence holders than to set up our own headend,” says a LMO.
A last mile owner who is in talks with one of the smaller MSOs concludes, “During the analogue regime, the revenue share between the MSO and LMO was 20:80 but after digitisation, this has come down to 65:35. The business model is not at all lucrative anymore.”
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.
