Cable TV
Time Warner becomes a strategic investor in Contentguard
MUMBAI: Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology provider Contentguard has announced that Time Warner has become a strategic investor.
In this way the media conglomerate has joined existing long-term strategic investor Microsoft Corp which recently increased its investment. Time Warner, Microsoft and Contentguard purchased substantially all of the ownership held by Xerox, which was the source of ContentGuard’s original technology. Xerox will retain a small equity interest in the company. .
An official release informs that working in equal collaboration, Time Warner and Microsoft expect to closely work with Contentguard to further develop ContentGuard’s rich portfolio of intellectual property and promote continued development and innovation in the areas of digital distribution and DRM.
Contentguard CEO Michael Miron added, “This is a significant milestone, not only for ContentGuard but for the digital content distribution market in general. Together with Microsoft’s, Time Warner’s input into our company’s direction will accelerate the pace of development for the new standards and technologies that we champion. This is vital to the market’s ability to act on the potential of digital content and give more choice and value to customers.”
Time Warner senior VP Ron Grant added, “This announcement marks an important step in our work on DRM, as well as in our collaboration with Microsoft on this key initiative. With its portfolio of fundamental technologies Contentguard is helping to create standards for use in DRM solutions. Together with Contentguard and Microsoft, among other partners, we will continue to work toward the day when we can successfully protect content and offer consumers exciting new digital media products and services.”
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.
