Cable TV
TDSAT directs Hathway Cable to pay Rs 9 crore to Star Sports
MUMBAI: The country’s leading mult-system operator (MSO) Hathway Cable and Datacom and Rupert Murdoch-owned sports broadcaster Star Sports are engaged in two legal battles in the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT).
In the first case, the TDSAT has directed the two parties to settle their dispute over the outstanding dues in the tribunal’s mediation centre. In the interim, in an order last week, the TDSAT had ordered Hathway Cable to pay Rs 8.57 crore to Star Sports within one week in settlement of some of the dues.
Hathway Cable has already made the Rs 8.57 crore payment. The MSO and the sports broadcaster will meet at the mediation centre on 27 March to discuss and settle issues over other payments that are due to Star Sports.
The order reads: “The petitioner admits the dues to the tune of Rs 8,57,18,075. It is further stated on behalf of the petitioner that Rs 1,16,12,554 was deducted as tax payable at source and the petitioner will give the requisite certificates to the respondent within a week from today. The difference between the dues claimed by the respondent and admitted by the petitioner is thus in the vicinity of Rs 1.93 crore and odd. At this stage, it also needs to be noted that according to the respondent two cheques which added up to Rs 60,27,135 and which are shown in the petitioner’s statement of accounts as having been given to the respondent were not actually received by it. This amount would, therefore, be subject to verification. In case the cheques have in fact not been given to the respondent the petitioner must pay the admitted amount of Rs 8,57,18,075 plus Rs 60,27,135. The aforesaid payment must be made to the respondent within one week from today i.e. by 17.03.2014.”
In another case filed by Star Sports against the MSO, the sports broadcaster has claimed that in the DAS phase I cities of Mumbai and Delhi, Hathway Cable has been violating the regulatory process by removing Star Sports out of its channel packs and placing them as a la carte without reducing the pack price or substituting the channels. It claims that the MSO is charging additional money for adding the channels above the pack.
This case will come up for hearing on 19 March. TDSAT has already asked Hathway Cable to file an affidavit showing that it is complying with the regulations, the number of subscribers who have requested Star Sports and the number of subscribers for whom Star Sports has been activated.
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.
