Cable TV
Manthan Partners with Magnaquest Product SURE!
MUMBAI: ManthanBroadband Services Pvt. Ltd, one of the leading MSOs in India, has signed up a 10-year deal with SURE!, a Magnaquest product, to provide comprehensive cloud-based Subscription Lifecycle Management that include Billing, CRM, and end-to-end Managed Services, the two companies announced today.
In one of the first-of-its kind deal in the MSO space, Magnaquest will host the entire infrastructure of the application, and manage it for Manthan as part of their Managed Services Contract. This Software-as-a-service (SaaS) business model is backed by globally-proven Magnaquest Operations support.
SURE!, Magnaquest’s award-winning and globally proven combination of BSS, OSS and Managed Services will align perfectly with Manthan’s installation goal of over 3.6 million STBs by 2014 across the states of Bengal, Orissa, Assam, Jharkhand and Meghalaya. SURE! will also complement the focus of Manthanin transforming the entire network to address next generation digitization requirements and provide best customer experience.
Speaking about the global search for the right Subscriber Management, Billing and Managed Services partner, Mr.Gurmeet Singh, Director, Manthan Broadband Services, said, “We were looking for a provider of international quality, a solution that is robust for geometric expansion and growth, and at the same time, flexible to support us in various business approaches, fast innovation and dynamic market models. We were looking for a partner with a technology that would not fail, but also bring in domain-edge, strategic approach and business insights support to mutually-nurture in taking the right strides over a long period of time.”
“The reasons for selecting SURE!, from Magnaquest, are many including their undisputed global leadership in Media & Entertainment domain for SMS, international-class solutions, a rapidly scalable technology, and even more significantly – the ability and willingness to completely take up the responsibility of planning, creating, deploying and managing our entire technology infrastructure, while meeting our future requirements as we grow in the new era of digitized Indian Pay TV market” he said.
“Having evaluated various global players in the space and considered the value-edge in the offerings of all Subscription Lifecycle Management companies, we had no doubts in going ahead with SURE! because of its client-centric DNA, ability to think for our end-subscribers, speed and flexibility, optimized costs, its ‘Pay-as-you-grow’ model and, the brand promise,” Mr. Singh said. “We are sure SURE! will help us in our overall mission to become one of India’s most-loved provider of home and mobile entertainment connectivity.”
“We are very excited to be chosen by Manthan, one of the fastest growing regional MSOs in the country, after a global search for a strategic technology and consulting partner. We are looking forward to a great relationship and supporting Manthan’s leadership in attaining their ambitious goals with our proactive and comprehensive value offerings. We have a promise to improve ARPU and enable loyalty from subscribers, growth readiness and total operations management. It is a partnership that can change the game for end-users, making their experience of entertainment connectivity truly world-class and best-in-class.,” said Rajiv Debbad, Director – Business Development, SURE!
“We have delivered our subscriber management and billing solutionon SaaS platform to Manthanin flat 3 week’s time. We are amongst a handful of players in the world poised and ready to harness the Subscription Revolution underway. SURE! is more than a product, platform or suite of industry-focused niche solutions-set. It is a brand, a faith, a promise to optimize technology for the success of your business,” Mr. Debbad said.
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.
