Cable TV
TDSAT gives a week’s time to Telengana MSOs to carry TV9
MUMBAI: The Telecom Disputes Settlement Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) has directed the multi system operators (MSOs) in Telengana to resume the broadcast of news channel TV9 within a week from the passing of the order on 29 October.
The case which had been filed by the Associated Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) against MSOs Hathway Cable & Datacom, Siti Vision Digital Media and others, had actually been shut in early October when TDSAT had directed the state MSOs to carry the channel. At that time, the Telengana state additional advocate general Ramachandra Rao had said that the government would provide security to the MSOs and LCOs for carrying the channel. This was subject to ABC not broadcasting content that would violate the law or put out defamatory content against the state of Telangana.
However, the Central Government solicitor general Ranjit Kumar regretfully said that the assurance given by Rao ‘remained mere words on a piece of paper’. To this, Rao produced proof of letters sent to the Telangana Police director general asking them to ensure that ‘no untoward incident takes place as a result of the petitioner’s broadcast as per the TDSAT order.’
However, counsel for the MSOs said that the police would come to rescue only after the MSOs had suffered damages from the mob. The answer to this would be to issue a public notice or a press release so that the MSOs could resume broadcast.
The TDSAT has directed the State of Telangana to file an affidavit that as long as TV9 refrains from defamatory content against the state, its people, government and follows the Programme Code and the Advertisement Code, the government would provide security. It has also asked the broadcaster and the MSOs to publicise the order through electronic media.
The MSOs will have to intimate the police about the date when they shall resume broadcast. TV9 has been switched off from the state of Telangana from several months due to its broadcast of content that even the TDSAT saw as ‘highly defamatory’.
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.
