Cable TV
WB govt to work with private cos to remove cable cobwebs from Kolkata skyline
KOLKATA: Kolkata skyline is trapped in a web of ever-burgeoning cable lines, which has given the city an ugly, cluttered and grey look. Addressing the issue, West Bengal Housing and Youth Affairs minister Arup Biswas said that the state government was ready to work together with private parties and take up the issue of cable cobwebs.
Biswas further said that cable TV operators should meet with the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) authorities and think on ways to beautify the city. He also proposed that if these cables can be made to pass through underground ducts, the city would look clean and the skyline would be clear.
Additionally, Cable TV Equipments Traders & Manufacturers Association (CTMA) has requested the state government if the service tax, which is currently levied at the rate of 12.36 per cent, be reduced, as the players are overburdened with amusement tax apart from service tax.
“Cable wire is a black mark on Kolkata’s beautification drive. The operators should meet KMC officials sooner,” said Biswas, on the sidelines of Cable TV 2015 show in Kolkata.
CTMA has organised a three-day annual satellite and cable television show 2015, starting 18 February at the Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata.
It should be noted that not only cable operators but private telephone operators and internet service providers (ISP) also contribute to trapping the city’s skyline in the mesh of wires. CTMA executive member Suresh Sethiya said, “We aim to propose to KMC that everyone who is using the pole for wires should pay,” said Sethiya.
Sethiya further said that the KMC can give advertisements and then private players can put the cable wires in tray system and the unidentified ones by any player can be removed by the government authorities after 10 days or so.
It was the entry of cable television in the year 1990 that led to wires being strung on poles. The number of cable subscribers grew and so did wires over pavements. About six – seven years ago, ISPs and private telecom operators joined them, adding to the mess.
On the reduction of service tax proposition, CTMA secretary Kishan Kumar Binani said, “We have requested the government to re-look at the service tax. If they reduce it, it will work in the favour of all the stakeholders associated with cable TV industry.”
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.
