Cable TV
SC reserves judgment in Star-Siti HITs case
NEW DELHI: The two-judge bench of Santosh Hegde and B P Singh today reserved a judgment on a special leave petition (SLP) filed by Star last Saturday with the Supreme Court, appealing against an order given by the MRTPC last week.
The MRTPC, petitioned by Siti Cable and ASC Enterprises, had said that till the next date of hearing on 10 September, Star, Sony and ESPN-Star Sports should continue making their signals available to the HITS platform promoted by ASC, which is part of media baron Subhash Chandra’s empire.
After a marathon hearing that began before noon and lasted several hours, the judges Hegde and Singh, reserved their judgment, implying that they would write the order at a later date. Both the petitioners and the respondents expect an early direction from the apex court on the case.
However, the apex court did not give any interim relief to the petitioners, which was expected since Siti Cable-ASC Enterprise’s HITS platform has already been soft-launched and is providing signals to some subscribers of Star and Sony.
Sony, which had refrained from appealing against the MRTPC order, also joined issues through an SLP yesterday that was clubbed with Star’s and heard today. The decision was taken as Sony was already a respondent in the case filed by Siti Cable-ASC Enterprises with the MRTPC.
Former finance minister and lawyer P Chidambaram represented Star, while Sony’s lawyer was Ashok Desai. Congress MP and lawyer Kapil Sibal represented Siti Cable-ASC Enterprises.
According to information available with indiantelevision.com, Star and Sony’s argument revolved around the fact that the MRTPC observation on creation of a monopoly is not valid as they don’t have any commercial agreement with ASC Enterprises.
Since no contractual agreement exists between ASC Enterprises and the broadcasting companies, the question of providing the channels’ signals to the HITS project does not arise, the petitioners contended today at the hearing. Sibal argued that the Siti-ASC combine was executing what had been permitted by the government, and agreements existed between the channels and Siti Cable.
However, Chidambaram said, through HITS-based transmission Siti wanted to wipe out the control of the content provider over the subscriber base and was behaving as if it was the owner of the signals even when it had no agreement with Star for transmission through HITS.
Several references to CAS were also made during the hearing that lasted almost till 4 pm. It was argued that in the wake of CAS being deferred in Delhi and its future uncertain elsewhere, the HITS project has lost its relevance – a line of argument that was hotly contested by Sibal.
Sibal also contended that Star is promoting its cable company Hathaway in cable operations and therefore wanted to create a monopoly situation by denying Siti the signals of major channels. Star holds a 26 per cent stake in Hathway.
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.
