Cable TV
Septuagenarian Murdoch becomes proud papa
You are never too old to be a parent. At least that’s the message global media baron Rupert Murdoch seems to be sending out to other septuagenarians. The News Corp owner became a father of a nine-pound girl on Monday evening in New York. His third wife Wendi Deng delivered a healthy baby who has since been named Grace Helen, according to media reports.
Grace Helen Murdoch is Rupert Murdoch’s fifth child and first through Wendi. His eldest is Prudence MacLeod (38) through first wife Patricia, Elisabeth (33), Lachlan (30), and James Murdoch (28) were born during his 31 year marriage with second wife Anna, who he divorced two years ago surprisingly to marry Wendi who worked within Star TV in Asia.
Sources indicate that Grace will be handed a stake in News Corp some time in future through Murdoch’s holding company Cruden Investments.
Additionally, Grace is likely to inherit a 10 per cent stake in Cruden held by Rupert’s mother Dame Elizabeth Murdoch. Cruden Investment’s holds a 30 per cent stake in News Corp.
News Corp is run by President & COO Peter Chernin, though Lachlan and James both hold key position in the Murdoch empire. His daughter Elisabeth runs a production house independent of her father’s media interests, while eldest daughter Prudence also does her own thing.
This is what she had told AFP a couple of years ago describing her father: “I’m sure he can be unpleasant, but dad is not evil… he is very fit and very much in control of everybody and he ain’t going to retire. I can’t ever see him slowing down.”
Shall we say Amen to that?
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.
