Cable TV
National and local MSOs meet in Kolkata to discuss billing process
KOLKATA: The multi system operators (MSOs) seem to be in full swing to bring the gross billing system in place. This time, to discuss the smooth rollout of gross billing in the Kolkata Municipal Area (KMA), the national representatives of MSOs that included SitiCable Network and Den Networks, along with the local players like Manthan and AMBC among few others met and signed a deal to expedite the process.
Kolkata has 30 lakh cable homes and most of them still get ad hoc bills from the MSOs. Thus, to implement the gross (consumer) billing for January, and bring transparency in the entire process, the MSOs have requested cable TV subscribers to ask for bills from the local cable operators (LCOs) before paying the monthly subscription charges.
In fact, in order to ensure that the gross billing process is smooth in the KMA area, the MSOs from national and eastern regions meet regularly, especially after West Bengal and the central government authorities have asked them to speed up the process.
“Today’s meeting was on the smooth rollout of the billing. Customers should ask for a bill from the LCOs before paying their bills every month,” said AMBC managing director Sujit Das.
Siticable Kolkata director Suresh Sethia also brought to notice that the MSOs have conducted a check on the overall implementation of digital addressable system (DAS) including the billing and collection process.
According to the regulations set by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), subscribers will get 15 days from the date of the bill to make the payment. “In case the subscriber fails to make the payment till the due date, we may charge interest on the outstanding amount,” said Sethia, also adding that in the recent meeting the MSOs have decided to be firm on these agendas.
The seriousness of the MSOs is evident as most of them have uploaded the bills on the server, and some have even given the print outs to the LCOs so that bill collection can be done, remarked a city based analyst.
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.
