Cable TV
Siti, Hathway, among slew of channel applicants awaiting I&B clearance
NEW DELHI: It may be a bit surprising, but two big multi-system operators (MSOs), Siti Cable and Hathway Datacom, are among 32 applicants who have sought government clearance for starting TV channels beaming through a satellite.
According to government data, Siti Cable Network Pvt. Ltd. has sought permission from the information and broadcasting ministry for a channel called Delhi TV. The Rajan Raheja-controlled Hathway, however, had not clarified to the government the name of the proposed channel, and after applying, a government paper states, “the company sought to keep its proposal pending for the time being.”
Both the applications were made quite some time back. The ministry received Siti’s application in 2002 and the last clarification that the government had sought was in January 2003. As of March 2004, according to the government, no reply had been received from Siti Cable, the cable arm of Subhash Chandra’s Zee Telefilms.
Still, it is pertinent to mention here that Hathway Datacom also runs cable networks in various cities under the brand name Win. The latter recently started a premier movie channel on its networks in Delhi, christened Win Movies, which is cable delivered and shows comparatively newer Hindi movies.
The others who had applied for government clearance — and are yet to receive one — include Gemini Network Pvt. Ltd., which has expressed its intention to start a channel called Mantra. The government sought transponder lease agreement, project report and source of funding from the applicant that are yet to arrive.
TVC Skyshop.com Ltd’s proposal to start a TVC channel, vide a letter sent in July 2003, is still under examination by the government. Ditto for Ramesh Sharma’s Dilli One channel and, may be, another shopping channel from Seven Star Shopping Network Pvt. Ltd.
A proposal from AV Entertainment Ltd. for starting a channel called See News too has been pending government clearance since 2003. Reason: the company had proposed to uplink through its own teleport, which, according to government data, has not yet been operationalised.
Several of the applications, which had been referred to the ministry of home affairs and department of space earlier this year, are yet to be sent back to the I&B ministry with comments. These include proposals from Lamhas Entertainment Ltd (for Lamhas Classic channel), Total Telefilms Pvt. Ltd (Total TV) and SGA News Ltd’s SGA News channel.
There are, of course, some usual suspects too like Zee Sports Ltd that, according to the government, has sought clearance for Alpha News channels in March 2004. It is pertinent to note here that Zee hopes to launch its fifth regional language channel (recent acquisition etc Punjabi not included here) under the Alpha basket, in August. Media reports have said that Zee Telefilms CMD Subhash Chandra was in Hyderabad recently to oversee preparation work ahead of the launch of Alpha Telugu.
Other little known companies evincing interest in starting TV channels, also include Winning Edge Communication Ltd for a channel called Satya, Tamil Entertainment Art Media Ltd for Tamil Thirai, Amrita Enterprises Ltd for Amma TV, On Shanti Channel Pvt. Ltd for On Shanti-the Peace Channel, Orion media Pvt. Ltd for ITN, Wisdom Broadcasting Network Ltd for Wisdom broadcasting Network, Omsons Entertainment TV Network for HTV (no connection with Hindustan Times, though) and Sanskriti Communication Pvt Ltd. for Sanskriti.
All the aforementioned cases are pending government okay and are in various stages of clearances. A senior I&B ministry official said that because of the general elections, the ministry had not been able to concentrate on the proposals.
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.
