Cable TV
Siticable Kolkata to launch ‘SitiBroadband’
KOLKATA: The average revenue per user (ARPU) of cable operators can go up only with introduction of additional services. This has been stated enough and more time for the multi system operators to take note of and move in the direction.
One such MSO is Siticable Network that has decided to strengthen its broadband and value added services (VAS) offering to its consumers. The network will soon launch ‘SitiBroadband’ service in West Bengal.
Siticable currently has a cable customer base of around 12.5 lakh in the state. The MSO hopes to convert at least 10 per cent of this consumer base to ‘SitiBroadband’ service users. And to woo these consumers, Siticable will provide a combo pack and a value addition pack in the first year of the launch of the service.
“We have already invested in broadband. We are working on the price and package modality. In a digital addressable era, broadband and VAS will become an important differentiated offering,” says Siticable Kolkata director Suresh Sethiya.
“We are upbeat about our penetration and growth in West Bengal as our combo pack will be a value addition,” he adds.
Sethiya is enthusiastic about the new offering and hopes to develop it as a second major revenue source after it moved into the new digital regime where it has more direct control over the last mile customer. “We can now explain the consumers about the new service easily,” he opines.
Kolkata based cable TV analyst Namit Dave feels that broadband and value-added services will get a major boost as the country advances towards the completion of digitisation. “MSOs will roll out different packages on a vast scale going forward,” says he.
For another city based analyst broadband is a promising business. “It needs less investment while promising higher revenue, Siticable is set for a new high,” he says optimistically.
As reported earlier by indiantelevision.com, Siticable, as part of enhancing its VAS offering to consumers, is also exploring opportunities to release regional movies on cable TV before they are released in the theatres to generate more revenue.
Sethiya confirms that they are in talks with producers for premiere shows of regional movies on its cable channel as part of value added services. “These services can be implemented once the billing process is properly executed, which could take around six months to complete,” signs off Sethiya.
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.
