Cable TV
Writer’s guild opposes media mergers: Fox Time Warner deal
BENGALURU: The chatter about moves, countermoves by both sides continues unabated around global media circles. Joining the fray against the Fox Time Warner merger is the Writers Guild of America, West(WGAW), which says that such deals could harm writers.
As mentioned earlier, Time-Warner had rejected Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox (Fox) unsolicited offer allegedly worth about USD 76 billion cash and stock. 21st Century Fox had offered to buy Time Warner for USD 32.42 in cash and offered a ratio of 1.531 Fox class-A share for each Time Warner share. The Fox offer was worth about USD85-86 per share.
Soliciting funds, the WGAW in an email sent to some of its members stated, “As writers, we face a landscape today that the founders of our guild would hardly recognize. For decades, there were dozens of significant buyers in television and movies. Then federal limits on mergers disappeared. FCC regulations requiring independent production in television were repealed.”
“Now, those six conglomerates are threatening to swallow one another. “Think of that. Between them, Fox and Time-Warner would control 40 per cent of the industry’s writing jobs. What happens if more consolidation follows? What happens if one mega-company ends up devouring them all?”
“Giving to the Guild PAC is vital to your future,” the mail said. “The checks you write to your favourite Senate candidates cannot influence policy. But a powerful PAC, supporting candidates in the name of the WGA, gives us a fighting chance in the war against the corporate madness that threatens us all.”
The mail added, “When our Guild speaks, Washington listens. But to make sure our voices are heard, we need power. Simply put, we need you. This, then, is our call to arms. In the industry as it exists today, writers no longer have the luxury of staying out of politics. Rather, more than ever, we need a voice in them.”
Earlier, TV show runner and creator of the ‘Shield’ (2002-2008 for Fox Television Studios and Sony Pictures Television) and ‘Chicago Code’ (2011 for Fox Broadcasting Company) fame, Shawn Ryan had appeared before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation to discuss the adverse effect of “weak net neutrality regulations” and media consolidation on the creative community.
Before his appearance, Ryan had in a statement through the WGA said, “The reality of American media is that it is controlled by a handful of companies formed through two decades of consolidation .These companies own the television networks, the production studios and almost all of the scripted content that is available on television and in movie theatres. The cable companies that distribute this content are even more concentrated.”
In February 2014, the WGAW had issued a statement opposing the friendly Comcast Time Warner Cable merger that is awaiting approvals. “Comcast’s proposed merger with Time Warner Cable is bad for everyone: content creators, programmers, suppliers, and consumers. As writers know all too well, media consolidation leads to already too powerful companies limiting competition. The WGA will fight to stop this ill-conceived merger.”
Also, on June 24 this year, WGAW president Chris Keyser testified against the proposed merger of AT&T and DirecTV. Chaired by U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), the subcommittee’s jurisdiction includes oversight of antitrust law and competition policy, with that day’s hearing focused on the AT&T – DirecTV merger and its impact on competition and consumers. “They will use their power to force content providers to accept below market rates for their product,” stated Keyser in his testimony. “It is a stated goal of the merger to reduce affiliate fees. The problem is: it is those fees that have fueled the recent boom in creative programming – particularly on cable. Reduce those fees through the outsized power of monopoly – and the result is less creativity, less product, less innovation.”
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.
