Cable TV
PTC files indecency complaint over Emmys
MUMBAI: The Parents Television Council (PTC) has filed an indecency complaint with US media regulatory watchdog Federal Communications Commission (FCC) over the NBC broadcast of the Emmy Awards on Sunday night.
The complaint states that actresses, Helen Mirren and Calista Flockhart used vulgar and obscene language on the live broadcast.
The PTC on behalf of its over one million members acros the US has asked the FCC to levy a notice of Apparent Liability against each NBC affiliate that aired the unedited programme.
During the broadcast the phrase “tits over ass” was spoken by both Mirren and Flockhart and was aired unedited during the broadcast.
PTC president L. Brent Bozell says, “It is utterly irresponsible and atrocious for NBC to air this vulgar language during the safe harbour time when millions of children were in the viewing audience. People are getting sick and tired of networks allowing unedited profanity on their award shows in front of millions of youngsters, and with NBC this practice is becoming habitual.
Didn’t NBC learn anything from airing the live broadcast of the Golden Globes during which Bono dropped the F-word? NBC should have aired the Emmys on a tape delay, to bleep out the obscenities. A few seconds’ delay would not have meant a thing.
“We are calling on our members in the Central and Mountain time zones to file an indecency complaint with the FCC about this broadcast. We certainly hope that NBC will feel the pain of a hefty indecency fine for breaking the indecency law. It seems the only way to restore a sense of responsibility to the broadcast networks for polluting the public airwaves is to make sure the multi-billion dollar companies are financially penalised.”
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.
