Cable TV
Sumangali Cable refused licence by MIB
NEW DELHI: Kalanidhi Maran owned Sumangali Cable Vision has been asked to stop distributing signals in Chennai.
The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has asked the multi system operator (MSO) which is part of Kal Media Services founded by the Maran family, to wind up its business in 15 days.
A note on the Ministry website said Kal Media Services had been denied permission on 20 August due to denial of security clearance by the Home Ministry.
Permanent licence had earlier been issued for 10 years on 19 June 2012 for Chennai Metropolitan area and provisional given on 7 March last year for phase II cites.
It is learnt that the Ministry has asked Sumangali to run a scroll on its channels asking subscribers to switch to other MSOs.
While the Ministry refused to comment on this development, a source from Sun TV which forms part of the group denied that this had anything to do with any familial dispute between the Maran brothers.
The Ministry had last month announced that 16 MSOs which had provisional permissions had been denied permanent licences. These refused permission includes: Skynet Digital Services, Jai Maa Vaishno Entertainment, Intermedia Cable Communications, Supersonic Networks and Godfather Communications. Thus Sumangali run by Kal Media makes the seventeenth MSO denied permission.
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.
