Cable TV
Star India split into two separate units under Nair, Mukerjea
MUMBAI / NEW DELHI: In what is a major organisational revamp within Star India, the functions and management of the group have been split between CEO Peter Mukerjea and COO Sameer Nair.
Nair has been given the role of CEO Star Entertainment India while Mukerjea is now the CEO of Star Group India.
Essentially, what has happened is that Star India has been split up into an operational entity and a corporate entity.
Mukerjea will lead Star Group in India as its CEO, responsible for all corporate functions such as legal, finance, government affairs, corporate communications as well as managing Stars investments including Tata Sky, Hathway, Balaji and MCCS.
He will also spearhead the development of new business opportunities in India. Mukerjea will continue to report to Star Group CEO Michelle Guthrie.
Star Entertainment India, which is now fully under Nair’s charge, will oversee day-to-day programming, marketing, advertising sales and distribution functions.
Nair has also been given the remit of expanding Star’s media presence from its existing TV channels Star Plus, Star Movies, Star Gold, Star News, Star One, Channel [V], Star Utsav and Star Vijay, into new media including wireless and broadband internet platforms.
Nair will be reporting directly to Star Group COO Steve Askew.
The changes are part of a reorganisation emanating from Star’s headquarters in Hong Kong with Askew being given additional charge as president of Star Entertainment. Askew has been Star COO since December 2003.
Askews appointment is effective immediately. In his expanded role, he will oversee Stars operating divisions across the region, with his portfolio expanding from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and the Middle East to India.
Commenting on the announcement, Guthrie said, The reorganization reflects the scale to which our operations have grown in India. The new structure will enable us to optimize our resources in expanding our leadership position in the television landscape while aggressively creating new opportunities in Indias thriving marketplace.
According to Guthrie, Sameer was the key driving force to our ratings turnaround in India in 2001. Since then, Sameers intuitive knowledge of television entertainment has helped Star India deliver record results in ratings and revenues.
“His promotion is a testament to the contribution he has made to build Star into the number one network in India. The new reporting structure aligns our creative forces and operational teams across the region, enabling us to continue developing compelling and successful content across different delivery platforms for years to come.
Guthrie continued, Peter has done an exceptional job in leading our highly talented local team to grow our businesses exponentially in India. Under the spin-off, we will be able to exert a greater impact on our existing investments in India, particularly with the imminent launch of the Tata Sky DTH service.
“Peters unique insights, extensive experience and strong business acumen will be invaluable as Star actively pursues new business opportunities to serve consumers throughout India.
Speaking to Indiantelevision.com late in the evening, Nair expressed happiness at the confidence the top management of Star had shown in him.
Quizzed on his agenda after the promotion, Nair said, “The basic aim of the company remains unchanged and that is to continue making entertaining content and find ways to monetise them more effectively across all delivery platforms.”
Though Nair was not forthcoming on the company’s plans relating to Internet and wireless (medium), he did admit that these are two areas that will get some focussed attention.
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.
