Cable TV
Siticable shelves deal plans with Spectranet
MUMBAI: Siticable has dropped plans to enter into a deal with Punj family-controlled Spectranet as the talks prolonged for too long.
No settlement could be arrived at on the cost of takeover for running Spectranet’s operations. Besides, Spectranet’s franchisee cable operators in Delhi migrated to other multi system operators (MSOs).
“We have shelved our plans. The management at Spectranet took too long to decide and hand over the network. The price they wanted was also too high,” said a source in Siticable.
Siticable was in advanced talks with Spectranet to take it on lease for at least a period of three years. The primary objective was to get access to the fibre laid out by Spectranet in Delhi. This Would have enabled Siticable’s digital headend to be linked with its master control rooms in Delhi on Spectranet’s optic fibre backbone.
The other aim was to get access to the cable operators of Spectranet. “We were looking at a deal in totality. But the delay on finalising the terms spoilt whatever plans we had with Spectranet,” says the source.
Siticable has already linked its digital headend with five of its control rooms in Delhi via fibre optic. Only two control rooms are not linked and are running on analogue. “We are examining options of using the fibre backbone of Bharti or VSNL or other players. This would allow us to offer a total digital system across the city,” says the source.
Former Star India distribution head Arun Mohan had stitched a 10-year lease management deal with Spectranet through his company AM Trinity Platco. But with conditional access system not taking off, early this year Mohan decided to get out of the cable TV business and terminated the contract. Spectranet got into talks with Siticable but soon cable operators fled from the network to hitch on to the other MSOs like Incablenet and Hathway Cable & Datacom.
Siticable has taken on lease two independent operators in Bangalore, Ice Network and Atria Network. The company acquired in May Indian Cable Net (earlier RPG Netcom), a Kolkatta-based MSO, and wants to aggressively spread more affiliates across the country.
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.
