Cable TV
Smaller radio licencees to form separate consortium to tap national advertisers
NEW DELHI: Even as all the FM radio companies have formed an association, the smaller and regional licencees are finalising a separate consortium to collectively tap national-level advertising in a bid to compete with the big guns.
According to a radio company, which has about 10 licences, but not a national presence, the consortium will try tapping national level advertisers by offering more number of stations and volume discounts.
Though the details are yet to be hammered out, this advertising consortium will be in the form of an entity or an organisation that will negotiate advertising and rates for its members, while keeping a small amount as commission on ad deals to fund operational expenses.
More than 40 radio companies are likely to be members of this consortium, which would aim to keep its advertising rates flexible, depending on the type of cities a licencee operates in.
The Indian government, while handing out 287 licences in the second phase till now had put on the block 338 licences spread over 91 cities categorised as A & A+, B,C and D depending on the population base.
Some of the licences have to go for rebidding on technical ground of not having found suitable buyers.
The big players include Anil Ambani-controlled Adlabs, HT Media & Entertainment, Radio Mirchi, Radio City, the Bhaskar group of newspapers (through Synergy Media) and the Sun TV group.
Meanwhile, it’s RIP for Radio Group, formed in the early part of this decade when FM radio was opened up to private participation. The new avatar is Association of Radio Operators of India (AROI).
A reluctant co-coordinator of AROI, BAG Infotainment CEO Rajiv Mishra, admitted to Indiantelevision.com that the association has been formed and is likely to have its first meeting to chalk out future plans later this month. Mishra did not hand out any further details.
Still, as per information available, AROI will be a registered, non-profit, non-governmental society dedicated to protect the common and collective interests of its members, a la Indian Broadcasting Foundation and Indian Newspaper Society.
AROI is likely to have several advisory bodies like after legal and regulatory issues, technical and other agreements that have to be signed with government bodies. The executive council will include a chairman, vice-chairman and secretary-general.
The radio association is also mulling putting a radio ratings system in place on the lines of TV ratings points. Apart from a small company that does some viewership and reach measurement for radio stations in Mumbai and Delhi, nothing is done at a national level.
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.
