Cable TV
Maharashtra Budget; tax levied on cable TV up by 50 per cent
MUMBAI: Get set to pay more for your cable TV connection. The state finance minister Jayant Patil presented a surplus budget of Rs 305.85 crore for 2006-2007 in the Assembly. With a view to mop up an additional revenue of Rs 500 crore, Patil proposed a hike in taxes which included a 50 per cent hike in entertainment duty levied on cable operators, among other items.
Unchanged since the year 2000, this increase means that your monthly cable bills could rise anywhere between Rs 5 to Rs 15.The amount would differ from place to place, as specified by the state government.
According to news reports, those areas under municipal corporations, such as Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane and Nagpur, would see their tax rise from Rs 30 to Rs 45. Also, Grade-A municipal council areas would now pay Rs30 instead of Rs 20, while Grade-B & C municipal council zones would pay Rs15 instead of Rs10.
“This hike will pinch the consumer. This is extremely unfair, especially, when the government recently reduced the tax on DTH services from Rs90 to Rs30 per connection,” said a Sena MLC Anil Parab to a Mumbai newspaper.
“We cannot charge our customers in slums an exorbitant amount. They can’t even pay Rs30 as tax. So, we subsidise the rate by charging other customers more. We are likely to do the same to implement this hike,” said Cable Operators & Distributors’ Association president Ganesh Naidu in the same news report.
The Budget also proposes a hike in taxes on other items like liquor, motor vehicle tax on four wheelers and water charges. But, the Budget does bring some cheer for state finances. Apart from a revenue surpus for the second year in a row, this year’s total plan outlay is Rs 14, 829 crore and growth is projected to be 8.6 per cent.
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.
