Cable TV
Free Dish grows by 11 per cent across rural, urban households: Chrome DM
Mumbai: Chrome Data Analytics & Media has announced the results for its bi-annual subscriber establishment survey (SES) and released a November report based on a Pan India ground survey conducted between April to June, 2021.
The periodic study was conducted by Chrome DM to understand the changing landscape of the TV universe, and represents 209.3 million TV households in the country across a sample taking one out of every 175 households. The results capped off a substantial jump in Cable and Satellite (C&S) homes by 7.3 per cent, where the subscriber base has seen a jump from 167.9 to 180.1 million households.
As per the SES November 2021 report, there has been a sizable growth in Free- Dish by a giant margin of 11.1 per cent where it maintains a northward climb in both rural and urban India. Pay DTH also saw a prominent jump by reaching a net total growth of 8.5 per cent while the same results also showed a progressive rise in digital cable by 4.1 per cent.
The survey also illustrates the downward decline of the almost extinct analog cable by a remarkable margin of 80.9 per cent. While over 27,755 households retained the analog subscriptions back in December 2020, the number has dropped to just over 5306 households in the month of June 2021.
Chrome DM founder and CEO Pankaj Krishna said, “OTT is here and TV continues to rule with over 200 million plus base in India. I am glad to see an upswing in the overall cable & satellite subscriber numbers which have grown from ~167 million in December 2020 to ~180 million now.”
SES is mainly used by broadcasters to optimise distribution revenues by way of identifying cable network footprints, outline promotions and generate media hype, audit threshold subscription numbers based on Operator’s CAS report and minimise Carriage fee spends – Chrome Distribution Investments Index.
Chrome SES November 2021 report also offers data and analytics that provide ranging insights which go beyond the broadcast industry. These audits can be used to understand the forthcoming market trends while allowing various media planners and associated advertisers to gather deep insights into the changing fluctuations, viewer distribution and the ever-evolving mood of the subscribers.
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.
