Cable TV
MIB grants permanent license to Uttar Pradesh MSO
NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has granted a permanent (ten-year) license to the Uttar Pradesh based multi system operator (MSO) Eminent Cable Network. With this the number of MSOs, who have got permanent licences has gone up to 231.
This also takes the total number of MSOs to get a license to 655 including 424, who have got provisional registration in all urban areas in the country.
The MIB by 12 January cancelled the licences of 26 MSOs and closed their cases. It had initially cancelled the licences of 30, but restored those of four of whom one – Tanuku Communication Network from Andhra Pradesh – was given a provisional registration and another – Eminent Cable Network from UP – is the latest entrant to the permanent licensees.
As was reported earlier by Indiantelevision.com, of the provisional licensees, a total of 12 MSOs were given provisional licences on 12 January and another 30 on 1 January, 2016.
The other two licensees whose permanent licences had been cancelled but have been restored are Skynet Digital Services and Silverline Entertainment, both for most parts of Uttar Pradesh.
An earlier list had put the figure at 382 provisional licensees on 31 December, 2015 the day the analogue signals were to be switched off, showing 45 new MSOs had been added in the last fortnight of 2015.
With the Home Ministry directive about doing away with security clearances for MSOs not being communicated in writing to the MIB, the pace remains slow.
The new licensees covering 11 states include one MSOs in the northeast for Tripura, but it also includes two MSOs in Tamil Nadu and one in Chhattisgarh where DAS Phase III remains stayed.
The other states covered include Haryana, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Padesh, and Kerala.
The permanent licence issued to Kal Cable of Chennai had been cancelled on 20 August, 2014 but this cancellation was set aside by Madras High Court on 5 September the same year. However, Kal Cable’s name continues to be in the Cancelled List – presumably because the cases are still pending.
The number of MSOs was 612 on 31 December, 567 in mid-December, 553 by 24 November and 470 earlier in November, but this increase was merely in those who have provisional licences.
Sources said many MSOs holding provisional licences had not completed certain formalities relating to shareholders and so on.
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.
