Cable TV
MSO body submits recos to GST committee; wants ET subsumed under GST
MUMBAI: The growing taxes have been of great concern to all. The recent move of the Delhi government to hike entertainment tax to Rs 40 just added to the growing woes. To address this, the newly formed multi system operator (MSO) body All India Digital Cable Federation (AIDCF) has submitted its recommendation to the select Goods and Services Tax (GST) committee.
Through the recommendation, the association has suggested that entertainment tax (ET) be subsumed under GST.
It can be noted that the entertainment tax, which is being submitted by MSOs, varies from state to state. So while Delhi pays Rs 40, Maharashtra pays a sum of Rs 45. What’s more, in some states like West Bengal and Kerala, even the municipality collects entertainment tax thus adding to the burden.
“It is for this reason that we have asked the GST committee to subsume ET into GST for all the states and municipalities in India. This will also mean a uniform taxation policy where no one will have to pay separately to state governments or to municipalities,” a source close to the development tells Indiantelevision.com.
Meanwhile, the source also suggests that a similar recommendation has been sent by the DTH Operators Association, who currently have to pay close to 40 per cent of their income in taxes. However, at the time of filing this report, DTH Operators Association president and Videocon d2h CEO Anil Khera was unavailable for comment despite repeated attempts.
It may be recalled that in April this year, Khera had welcomed GST wholeheartedly and had said that it would only help the DTH sector to prosper. “DTH is the biggest victim of multiple taxation policy and GST will simplify that. The industry needs a uniform taxation system and the sooner it comes the better it is,” Khera had then said.
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.
