Cable TV
Sony strengthens Fridays; adds new shows, reshuffles programming
MUMBAI: A couple of new shows, reshuffling, revamping and even canning some existing shows It’s all happening at Sony. This time the spotlight is on Fridays. Come 10 March and two new shows – Fear Factor and Kandy Floss will launch on the channel in the 9 pm and 11 pm slot respectively. While Fear Factor will be a one hour weekly show, Kandy Floss will be half hourly.
On the other hand, Deal Ya No Deal, which airs from Wednesday to Friday and was recently shifted from the 8:30 pm slot to the 9 pm slot, has been repositioned in the 8 pm slot. But the time change stands true only for Fridays. On Wednesday and Thursday, the show will continue in the 9 pm slot.
Apart from that, CID has been revamped and will now become an hourly show at 10 pm on Fridays. “CID will have one story that will start and finish in one episode unlike the earlier half hourly format,” informs Sony Entertainment Television (Set) India chief operating officer N P Singh.
All these four shows are being packaged under ‘Shukra Hai Shukravaar Hai’ tag line.
With this new Friday lineup, what happens to the three shows – Kaisa Ye Pyar Hai (8 pm) Kudkudiya House No. 43 (8:30 pm) and Crime Patrol (10:30 pm) that air on Fridays? “Kudkudiya House No. 43 and Crime Patrol will end on the channel whereas Kaisa Ye Pyar Hai (KYPH) will be pulled out on Fridays. From 10 March, KYPH will only air from Monday – Thursday instead of Monday – Friday,” informs Singh.
“This is the first step that we are taking in implementing a fresh new programming strategy for the channel. We thought we would start with Fridays as they have always been our strong day in terms of programming. The ‘Shukra Hai Shukravaar Hai’ time band will run from 8 pm to 11:30 pm, which is something that we are doing for the first time,” said Singh.
While Fear Factor is an Indian adaptation of the Endemol show by the same name, Kandy Floss is a television magazine show that will encompass gossip, behind the scenes and chats with celebrities.
When queried as to whether there were any other shows lined up for the week apart from the Friday programming, Singh informs that new weekday shows will be launched in April and it would be premature to talk about them now since they were all under development. “As far as our prime time on weekdays is concerned, we will be looking at offering viewers with a strong mix of fiction and non-fiction programming encompassing multitude of genres like drama, comedy, love stories, thriller, reality and maybe even horror!” said Singh.
Briefly speaking on the dramas that one might get to watch on the channel in the near future, Singh said that they were in the process of creating “high quality progressive stories that will be in line with our unique positioning of bringing new innovative programming to the viewers.”
Throwing light on Sony’s programming strategy for the year ahead, Singh said, “As far as the programming is concerned, we are building our strategy on three pillars if you look at the day parts. We are starting with strengthening our core strength – Fridays; consolidating on our success in the prime time by launching new shows and retaining some of our successful properties like Kaisa Ye Pyaar Hai and Ek Ladki Anjaani Si. The third priority is to build the afternoon band.”
New shows will be introduced in the afternoon band, which essentially has re-runs of old shows presently. Singh said, “The new shows will be introduced in the afternoon band in the first quarter of the next fiscal year,” he said.
Coming to Saturdays and Sundays, Singh said that the strategy of airing movies and events had worked for the channel until now and hence there will be no changes there.
Talking about Indian Idol, Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahi and CID, which have not had any ratings shine for some time now, Singh said, “There are certain aberrations in ratings now and then. In the last four weeks, our ratings have started to pick up. There is seasonal programming on competing channels and when those reach its crescendo, it has an impact on other channels. One can’t get away from the seasonal programming phenomenon. If we had to look at the performance without that, the channel has grown from where it was earlier. If we had to talk about Idol, there has been a gradual uptake and changing the time from 8.30 pm to 9 pm has substantially helped us.”
“Our aim is to consolidate our second position,” Singh said.
Other shows that are scheduled to launch on Sony through the year are the Indian versions of Extreme Makeover and Big Brother and also Paisa Bhaari Padega. “We will continue to get good nonfiction properties on air. However, the timings of these shows are not yet decided,” Singh said.
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.
