Cable TV
LCOs may decrease in number in the next three years
KOLKATA: Lately, indiantelevision.com has done a series of reports about local cable operators (LCOs) being unhappy with the process of digitisation. A critical area of concern being the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) ruling on consumer application forms (CAFs) and billing, which according to LCOs, makes multi system operators (MSOs) the owners of their hard-won subscribers.
On the back of these reports comes another disturbing finding: experts say LCOs in the city’s DAS area – currently pegged at 7,000 to 8,000 – will drastically decrease in numbers in the next three years.
Says Mrinal Chatterjee, who runs Akash Sutra, a cable network in Bangur and its adjoining areas: “During analogue times, the share between the MSOs and us used to be 20:80 but after DAS, it has come down to 65:35. The business model is not at all lucrative enough. A major number of operators might look at other options for existence.” Many others are thinking of ways to ‘only exist’ in the cable TV business, wherein they have invested nearly 20 years of their life; he adds.
Whereas, Suresh Sethia, Siticable Kolkata director says: “Small operators will become a part of larger networks but will still be in business.” Asked to define the term ‘small operators’ Sethia goes on to explain that LCOs with 100-150 subscribers are small while those with 2,000 and more customers are big. “There are groups of LCOs having more than 10,000 subscribers that are considered large,” he says.
Sources however say that in Kolkata, most cable ops are yet to sign revenue-sharing agreements with their MSOs.
An MSO says while the company has asked affiliated LCOs to educate subscribers about the different packages on offer, LCOs are not doing their work. “Secondly, the LCOs did not pay us for each connection in the analogue regime. But with installed set top boxes and the number of connections transparent, LCOs are not supporting us properly implement the new system,” he says.
By contrast, an LCO who is part of the recently formed Bengal Broadband initiative (GIVE LINK TO OUR STORY) argues: “A multi system operator may provide cable TV services directly to subscribers. They don’t need our services and we are not mere collection agents. So, I will try to become a MSO.”
Another cable op questions: “Filling up forms to gather information about viewers’ preferences coupled with sharing of network could result in monopoly of MSOs. Where are we in the system?”
According to Swapan Chowdhury, convener of the Cable Operators Digitalisation Committee of the Association of Cable Operators, the authorities must do something in favour of operators. But he is quick to assure that people who have spent years in this industry will be here and ‘nothing will change’.
Corpus Media consultant GK Viswanath corroborates Chowdhury’s view and says: “LCOs will not leave the industry. They’ve spent time and money here. LCOs will be the franchisees or payment collectors.” Going forward, he feels the small LCOs will merge with the MSOs and not with big LCOs.
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.
