Cable TV
MSOs to meet Wednesday to discuss CAS freeze response
MUMBAI: Multi systems operators – the hardest hit by the government notification yesterday putting the rollout of conditional access into indefinite deep freeze – have scheduled a meeting Wednesday to try and figure out how to respond to an edict that threatens to cripple their business.
The meeting, to be held in the capital, will see big MSOs like Hathway, InCableNet, RPG, Sumangali and SitiCable, among others, in attendance.
At stake here is a huge amount of investment that have gone into not just the purchase of set top boxes, but also the costs of headend upgrades to digital and the installation of subscriber management systems that were the key to introducing addressability into the cable broadcast business.
The government notification followed a recommendation made by the telecom Regulatory authority on Monday (23 February) that the 10 July 2003 notification on CAS in the country be either denotified or kept in abeyance for a period of three months.
The immediate issue for the MSOs is what is to be done about the 80,000 or so set top boxes that had already been sold outright or rented out in places like South Delhi and Chennai. In South Delhi, about 40,000 boxes are estimated to have been seeded thus far while in Chennai 33,000 boxes have been seeded, industry sources say.
There is also the problem of the set tops lying with the MSOs expecting an increase in offtake in the run-up to the India-Pakistan cricket series.
As far as the course of action is concerned, one likely route would be the legal one. The MSOs have a strong case because the investments they made in infrastructure were under specific order from the information and broadcasting ministry. The I&B ministry had initially said that CAS should be implemented by 1 September, 2003.
And while the MSOs may still be reeling, the lower end of the cable business – the last mile operators – are not so unhappy.
The Chennai-based federation of Cable Operators has welcomed the notification. According to association president V. Venkatesan, the suspension of CAS has not come a moment too soon, what with the India-Pakistan cricket tour around the corner.
There is also the other side to this that the cable ops in Chennai can now hike up the rates across the Southern Indian city to what they were before CAS became effective (1 September).
As for the MSOs they are truely caught in a cleft stick. The Trai orders that cable prices be frozen at levels that existed as of 26 December 2004 coupled to the rider that this does preclude broadcasters from demanding increases in the subscription base has the MSOs in a bind. The last mile operators are unlikely to accede to any pressure to increase declarations and remain deeply suspicious of both MSOs and broadcasters. The broadcasters will be putting the squeeze on MSOs to increase connectivity.
One broadcaster in particular which will be working overtime to ramp up its paid points is Ten Sports. The fact that it has exclusive rights to the India-Pakistan cricket series offers it the best possible chance to increase its declared subscriber base.
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.
