Cable TV
Nagra Anycast and OpenTV solutions selected by DEN Networks in India
MUMBAI: NAGRA, the Kudelski Group (SIX:KUD.S) digital TV business and the world’s leading independent provider of content protection and multiscreen television solutions, announced today that DEN Networks, India’s largest cable provider, has selected NAGRA any CAST content protection and OpenTV middleware to support the growing demand for digital TV services in the region and enable their next generation pay-TV offering. This selection marks a significant milestone in NAGRA’s expansion in India.
“DEN Networks is paving the way for a new generation of digital TV services in a region where consumers are hungry for new services and premium entertainment,” said Jean-Luc Jezouin, Senior Vice President, Asia. “Our solutions will help DEN Networks bring a new generation of services to market quickly and efficiently, while ensuring the security of their content and providing a fresh and exciting viewing experience to subscribers. We look forward to supporting DEN Networks as they pursue their digitization efforts.”
NAGRA provides DEN Networks with a fast-time to market solution based on NAGRA’s best-of-breed technologies. It boasts built-in features powered by OpenTV middleware to enable entry-level DTV services while allowing the operator to increase revenue through advanced advertising and PVR. It also includes an intuitive user interface that addresses India’s multi-lingual landscape and is ready-to-deploy on multiple chipsets. Content security is maintained through NAGRA anyCAST, the company’s latest unified security services platform, supporting everything from basic Free-To-View to next-generation 4K services using the industry’s most advanced CAS and DRM technologies.
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.
