Cable TV
Make blogging safe for kids
MUMBAI: Kids with their endless curiosity have taken to the internet like fish to water, and they may be getting in way over their heads. This virtual world — just like its physical counterpart — has things that are good, things that are a waste of time, and things that are downright dangerous.
“Take blogging, an internet activity that has become all the rage with kids. There is a very good chance that your child has a blog, and that it may contain some fairly shocking personal or made-up content. For example, we are seeing some children creating seductive adult personas, and these fictitious alter egos are matched by predators passing themselves off as kids. It’s time to make blogging and online communities safe for kids,” said Industrious Kid founder and CEO Jeanette Symons.
Lacking such places, kids eagerly seize free space and blog-building tools and publish their online diaries — web logs, or “blogs” — on sites such as MySpace.com and LiveJournal. These sites are intended for adults and are full of adult content, but that just adds to their attraction. Kids can simply lie to get around the age restrictions, and studies show that many do.
There are already millions of kid-authored blogs today as baby bloggers try to one-up each other and make their individual creations stand out from the crowd. The password protection feature makes it seem like access to their blogs is quite limited, but in reality the kids are baring their souls and personal information to the world.
Technology entrepreneurs like Symons are working with educators to make blogging safe for kids. They are creating blogging domains that combine strong protective measures and controls with the kind of content, applications, and dynamics that make the environment compelling and exciting to kids.
The details for such kid-friendly, parent-approved blogging environments are still being hammered out, but experts have identified three key ingredients:
Strongly authenticated access that creates a controlled ecosystem through identification of users, which weeds out the undesirable elements and limits the scope of publishing.
Powerful tools for parental monitoring and control of the “who, what’s and how often’s” of their children’s activities.
Dynamic age-appropriate content and applications to interest and stimulate the audience.
Many people simply want to ban blogging for kids, but it actually has many positive aspects. Instead of yakking on the phone or meeting at the mall, children online are creating something, expressing themselves in new ways, communicating with the written word, and becoming computer- and Internet-savvy — all important skills that have much broader applications.
“We can’t stuff the online Genie back in the bottle,” said Symons. “The digital landscape with all its faults is a permanent backdrop to our kids’ lives. We need to engage this new reality and create on online environment that is not only safe and constructive, but a place where our children simply want to be.”
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.
