Cable TV
Rainbow, iD Distribution ink deals in China & Thailand
MUMBAI: Rainbow Media Holdings, LLC and its London based distributor id Distribution has inked new distribution agreements with Chinas CCTV and Thailands UBC. Both deals were brokered by id Distributions Simon Nichols.
The new deals will further expand Rainbows Voom HD content into Asia and offset the international market’s shortage of quality HD content.
The sale to CCTV marks a major breakthrough, considering the challenges other western program distributors have faced bringing content into the country. On the heels of its 1 January launch, CCTV has approved two of Voom HD’s high definition series – Reservations Required and Ultra Space – for China’s growing HD television audience.
Also looking to Vooms HD programming to fill a content void in the Asian marketplace is Thailand’s largest satellite broadcaster, UBC, which has picked up three series – Gallery Tours, Magnificent Obsessions and Reservations Required – and one special – Art In Unexpected Places: Woodlawn Cemetery – for its programming service.
“CCTV’s launch of China’s first high definition channel validates the growing global appeal of HD technology, as well as consumer interest in high quality programming that is both visually superior and entertaining. We are pleased to be part of CCTVs initial program lineup. We are equally pleased at the opportunity to reach and entertain Thai audiences through our agreement with UBC,” said Rainbow Medias Voom HD Networks general manager Greg Moyer.
Rainbow senior vice president, business development Glenn Oakley said, “Asia has always been a part of our global expansion plans, but this is a huge step forward on two levels. Not only are we getting our content into China, where such efforts have proven difficult for others, but we are also advancing high definition entertainment into unchartered territories.”
Id Distribution will be taking approximately 150 new hours of brand new Voom HD content to Mip.
Id managing director Sally Miles added, “With the growth in HD channels globally we suspect it will be an extremely busy market. Every week there is a new HD buyer on the scene and that is exciting both for the global expansion of the format and for content sales. We will be welcoming people to the stand at MIP to view HD in its full glory and I suspect for many buyers it will be the first time they will have seen it it will be exciting to see their reaction and to promote global movement to HD.”
Since October, when the company kicked off its global expansion efforts, Rainbow Media has signed co-production deals with Electric Sky, Conceptual Films, Mega-Media Pte Ltd. And Media Development Authority (MDA), distribution deals with National Geographic and Tangerine Global, and acquisition agreements with Defiance Distribution and Monster Distributes, all of which will further extend the companys HD content both domestically and throughout the world.
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.
