ITV

Category: DTH Operator

  • Videocon d2h armed with adequate STBs ahead of DAS III deadline

    Videocon d2h armed with adequate STBs ahead of DAS III deadline

    MUMBAI: Indian direct to home (DTH) operator Videocon d2h says it is fully geared up for Digital Addressable Systems (DAS) phase III, the deadline for which is 31 December, 2015. 

     

    The company expects Phase III to be 50 million TV household in terms of size.

     

    The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in its recent communication expressed satisfaction at the progress of the seeding of set-top boxes (STBs) in Phase III areas. TRAI has also advised consumers of urban areas who are still receiving cable TV services without STBs to avail and install STBs before the cut-off date in order to receive uninterrupted TV/services. It has reaffirmed its commitment to meet the deadline.  

     

    It is anticipated that there will be a huge demand for STBs for the Digitisation phase III, and Videocon d2h STBs are available in the markets. TRAI has been taking steps to create awareness among consumers and stakeholders by holding workshops on the implementation of DAS and consumer outreach programmes.

     

    Videocon d2h executive chairman Saurabh Dhoot said, “We welcome the digitisation mandate by Government wholeheartedly and will continue to support this initiative. The latest communication by Government in reaffirming its commitment is encouraging. This will ensure world class services to end consumer and create a level playing field between DTH and cable.”

     

    Videocon d2h CEO Anil Khera added, “Consumers who are on analog cable mode can subscribe to a Videocon d2h Digital Set Top Box to access uninterrupted services before digitisation is implemented. Videocon d2h has ample STBs to cater to demand of the digitisation towns. Consumers can subscribe to Videocon d2h to avoid a black out of the analog cable services and enjoy the wide range of channels and services provided.”

  • Q2-2016: Indian DTH players replicate improved performance of previous quarters

    Q2-2016: Indian DTH players replicate improved performance of previous quarters

    Over the past two quarters, the DTH segment of the television carriage industry has posted improved performances as has been mentioned by Indiantelevision.com for Q4-2015 and Q1-2016.

    The industry seems to have reached an inflection point in Q4-2015, with three players that have a combined market share of about 62 per cent posting improved results. The biggest player among them in terms of revenue as well as number of subscribers, Dish TV with about 27 per cent market share even reported a consolidated profit after tax (PAT) of Rs 34.94 crore in Q4-2015, a figure that helped wipe out the losses reported by the company for the previous three quarters. Dish TV reported consolidated PAT of of Rs 3.14 crore for FY-2015.

    As a matter of fact, even Airtel DTH services reported a positive EBIT of Rs 8.1 crore for Q4-2015, as compared to a negative EBIT of Rs 36 crore in Q3-2015 and a negative EBIT of Rs 67.6 crore in Q2-2015. The three players have now reported improved performances for the quarter ended 30 September, 2015 (Q2-2016, current quarter).

    Note: (1)100,00,000 = 100 lakh = 10 million = 1 crore.

    (2) This paper covers only three of the seven DTH service providers in India (as had the previous two papers) since the other four– Reliance Digital TV, Sun Direct (about 97 lakh subscribers as on 31 March, 2015), Tata Sky and DD Free Dish are not listed directly on the bourses and their financial numbers are not available, unless the principals of these companies/segments chose to reveal them. The three players – Airtel DTH, Dish TV and Videocon d2h have already been covered in our earlier reports mentioned above.

    (3) Some of the three players mention their financial as well as subscription numbers in millions in their financial reports/investor presentations and other documents that they make available publically. The financial numbers have been converted to Rs crore to an approximation of a single decimal place, though percentages have been mentioned to the second decimal place approximation.

    (4) There could be some ambiguity about the market share of the three players. If one were to go by the latest numbers released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in November 2015 for June 2015. TRAI’s indicator report says that the number of registered DTH subscribers as on 30 June, 2015 was 787.4 lakh. The combined subscription numbers of the three players as on the same day as reported by them individually was 343.12 lakh and hence the market share of these players works out to 45.58 per cent. However, TRAI’s report also says that the number of active DTH subscribers as on 30 June, 2015 was 397.4 lakh. Based on the second TRAI number, the combined total subscribe market share of the three players in this paper works out to 86.34 per cent. The figures of 27 percent and 62 per cent have been taken from Dish TV’s estimates.

    (5) Videocon d2h EBIDTA numbers are adjusted – Q4-2015 Adjusted EBIDTA is before accounting for one off securities issue expenses of Rs 10.543 crore and Employee Share based Compensations cost of Rs. 2.974 crore towards provision of ESOP plan of 2014; Q1-2016 and Q2-2016 Adjusted EBITDA is before accounting for Employee Share based Compensations cost of Rs. 2.944 crore towards provision of ESOP plan of 2014

    Please refer to the graphs below. Panel A, B and C and D show the Q2-2015, Q1-2016 and Q2-2016 combined performances of the three DTH operators in this report and then in alphabetical order- Airtel DTH, Dish TV and Videocon d2h respectively. Panel E shows the ARPU value trends and Panel F shows the Monthly Subscriber Churn of the three players over 6 consecutive quarters starting Q1-2015 until Q2-2016.

    Please refer to Panel A in the graphs below. The combined revenues of the three players in the current quarter grew 16.20 per cent year on year (YoY) to Rs 2149.32 crore as compared to Rs 1849.60 crore and grew 3.12 per cent quarter on quarter (QoQ) as compared to Rs 2084.28 crore. EBIDTA increased 47.96 per cent YoY in Q2-2016 to Rs 680.30 crore (31.65 per cent margin) as compared to Rs 459.8 crore (24.86 per cent margin) and grew 1.90 per cent QoQ as compared to Rs 667.6 crore (31.65 per cent margin). Hence, EBIDTA margin declined slightly in the current quarter as compared to the immediate trailing quarter. Reported Combined Subscription numbers in Q2-2016 grew 12.77 per cent YoY to 351.16 lakh as compared to 311.4 lakh and increased 2.34 per cent QoQ as compared to 343.12 lakh.

    All the three DTH operators reported growth in revenue and subscription numbers, both YoY and QoQ. Dish TV and Videocon d2h reported growth in YoY and QoQ EBIDTA, while Airtel DTH reported a YoY increase, but a QoQ drop in EBIDTA and EBIT for Q2-2016. In terms of subscription numbers as well as revenue, Dish TV is the biggest player among the three. While Videocon d2h has a slight edge in terms of subscription numbers over Airtel DTH, the latter has a slight edge over Videocon d2h in terms of revenue.

    The average revenue per customer (ARPU) in the case of Airtel DTH increased QoQ to Rs 224 from Rs 222, it was flat in the case of Videocon d2h at Rs 205 and declined to Rs 171 in Q2-2016 from Rs 173 in the immediate trailing quarter in the case of Dish TV.

    During the six consecutive quarter period starting Q1-2015 until the current quarter, ARPUs of all the three DTH players show linear increasing trends. Monthly Subscriber Churn also seems to be increasing in case of all the three players as is obvious from the linear broken trend lines in Panel F. As a matter of fact the Monthly Subscriber Churn reported by all the three players in the current quarter – Q2-2016 was the highest during a period spread over six consecutive quarters.

    At the cost of repeating some of what has been mentioned above, let us see how these players have performed in Q2-2016.

    Airtel DTH

    Airtel DTH is a small segment of Indian telecom major Bharti Airtel Limited and its revenues constitute around four per cent of its parent company’s revenues and its EBIDTA is contributes just three per cent to overall EBIDTA. Capex investment however is in the seven per cent region of Bharti Airtel’s overall capex investments.

    Please refer to Panel B in the graphs above. Airtel’s DTH segment reported 12.85 per cent YoY growth in its revenue for the current quarter at Rs 706.8 crore as compared to the Rs 623.6 crore in Q2-2015. QoQ, the segment’s revenue grew 3.21 per cent as compared to Rs 684.8 crore.

    EBIDTA increased 53.24 per cent YoY to Rs 234.3 crore (33.15 per cent margin) as compared to the Rs 152.9 crore (24.41 per cent margin), but was 2.70 basis points lower than the Rs 240.8 crore (35.16 per cent margin).

    Airtel DTH segment reported a positive EBIT of Rs 17 crore (2.41 per cent margin) in the current quarter as compared to a negative EBIT of Rs 67.7 crore in the corresponding year ago quarter. EBIT in the current quarter, however was less than half (declined by 59.04 per cent) as compared to the Rs 41.5 crore (6.06 per cent margin) in the immediate trailing quarter.

    The company reported a 10.86 per cent YoY growth in its subscriber base to 105.76 lakh in Q2-2016 as compared to the 95.40 lakh in the corresponding year ago quarter and a 1.58 per cent QoQ growth from 104.12 lakh in the immediate trailing quarter. Monthly subscriber churn however increased to 1.3 per cent in the current quarter as compared to 1.1 per cent in Q2-2015 and 0.8 per cent in Q1-2016.

    The company reported a slight increase in Average Revenue per User (ARPU) in Q2-2016 in terms of Indian rupees, but a flat ARPU in terms of the US dollar at $3.5, which means that ARPU in dollar terms declined due to the rise in the price of the dollar in Indian Rupees. ARPU in Q2-2016 increased to Rs 224 as compared to the Rs 220 in Q2-2015 and the Rs 222 in Q1-2016.

    Monthly Subscriber churn in Q2-2016 at 1.3 per cent was higher than the 1.10 per cent in the corresponding year ago quarter and the 0.80 per cent in the immediate trailing quarter.

    Airtel MD and CEO India & South Asia Gopal Vittal said, “Airtel’s revenue growth in India has accelerated to 13.3 per cent in Q2 on an underlying basis, the highest in the last 12 quarters. Our smaller businesses – home broadband, DTH and our business segment all continue to perform strongly.”

    Dish TV

    This is the third consecutive quarter that Dish TV has reported growth across important financial and operational parameters including operating revenues (Total Income from operations or TIO), PAT and subscription numbers. During the previous fiscal and its last quarter (year and quarter ended 31 March, 2015, Q4-2015), the Subhash Chandra led Essel group’s Dish TV Limited turned the corner with a consolidated PAT of Rs 3.14 crore and Rs 34.94 crore (margin 4.8 per cent) respectively. The company followed this up with even better numbers in the previous quarter (Q1-2015). Dish TV was probably the first among listed DTH companies in the country in FY-2015 and Q4-2015 to report a profit after tax as opposed to the operating profits reported by a segment of the other Goliaths for whom DTH services is just another small segment or group company.

    Please refer to Panel C in the graphs above. For the current quarter ended 30 September, 2015 (Q2-2015), Dish TV has reported Operating revenue of Rs 752.42 crore, hence registering a 15.77 per cent YoY growth as compared to Q2-2015’s number of Rs 649.90 crore and a 2.14 per cent QoQ growth as compared to Rs 736.68 crore.

    The company reported PAT of Rs 86.96 crore (11.56 per cent margin) for the current quarter as compared to a loss of Rs 14.2 crore in the corresponding year ago quarter and a whopping 60.41 per cent growth in profit as compared to the Rs 54.21 crore (7.36 per cent margin) in the previous quarter.

    EBITDA in the current quarter increased 57.50 per cent YoY to Rs 255 crore (33.89 per cent margin) as compared to Rs 161.9 crore (24.91 per cent margin) and increased 7.69 per cent QoQ as compared to Rs 236.8 crore (32.14 per cent margin).

    The company’s subscriber numbers in Q2-2016 increased by 3.38 lakh to touch a subscriber base of 137 lakh as compared to the 133 lakh subscribers reported at the end of the previous quarter (Q1-2016). Monthly Subscriber Churn increased to 0.8 per cent after remaining flat for the previous five consecutive quarters at 0.7 per cent.

    Dish TV reported a YoY growth in Average Revenue per User to Rs 171 as compared to the Rs 166, but a QoQ decline from Rs 173 in the previous quarter.

    Dish TV chairman Subhash Chandra said, “Dish TV further reinforced its leadership position during the quarter. The company, while being at the forefront of the DTH industry in India, reached out to television viewers with innovative products that promise to enhance their television viewing experience. Dish TV’s improving financial strength coupled with its passion to be ahead of the curve, should be an advantage to further enhance its presence in the vast and still untapped analogue and free-to-air television markets in the country.”

    Videocon d2h

    Videocon d2h reported sales growth in both subscription revenue and revenue from operations for the current quarter. Subscription revenue increased 24.63 per cent YoY to Rs 629 crore as compared to Rs 504.7 crore, and increased 4.67 per cent QoQ as compared to Rs 599.61 crore.

    Please refer to Panel D in the graph above. Total revenue increased 20.35 per cent YoY to Rs 690.1 crore as compared to Rs 573.40 crore and increased 4.12 per cent QoQ as compared to Rs 662.83 crore.

    The company reported lower loss in Q2-2016 at Rs 24.6 crore as compared to a loss of Rs 61.4 crore in Q2-2015, but was slightly higher than the loss of Rs 24.4 crore in the immediate trailing quarter.

    Adjusted EBIDTA in the current quarter increased 31.72 per cent YoY to Rs 191 crore (27.68 per cent margin) as compared to Rs 145 crore (25.29 per cent margin) and was almost flat (increased 0.53 per cent) as compared to Rs 190 crore (28.67 per cent margin).

    The company notched up higher net subscribers at 108.4 lakh in Q2-2016 as compared to 94.6 lakh in Q2-2015 and 106.4 lakh in the immediate trailing quarter. Monthly Subscriber Churn in the current quarter at 1.19 per cent was higher than 0.85 per cent in Q2-2015 and 0.46 per cent in the immediate trailing quarter.

    The company reported higher ARPU at Rs 205 in Q2-2016 as compared to Rs 190 in Q2-2015 but was flat when compared to Rs 205 in the immediate trailing quarter.

    Videocon d2h executive chairman Saurabh Dhoot said, “I am happy to share that we have achieved EBITDA growth of 30.3 per cent in the first half of the current fiscal as against our guidance of 25 to 30 per cent growth. We are on track to deliver even stronger growth in the second half of this year, in line with the guidance shared earlier. During the quarter, we focused on enhancing our channel offering and added 14 Standard Definition and four High Definition channels. We have recently launched two proprietary services, namely d2h Hollywood HD and Darshan. With more than 500 lakh eye balls we also continue to gain traction on advertising revenue with marque advertisers coming on our platform.”

    Speaking on the near term subscriber growth outlook, Videocon d2h CEO Anil Khera said, “We estimate around 500 lakh television homes come under Phase III digitization, of which 240 to 250 lakh television homes are already on the digital platform. Thus, the target market under Phase III digitization is the remaining 250 to 260 lakh television homes that are currently on analog cable.”

    End Points

    Implementation of Phases III and IV of DAS presented a potential of about 700 to 750 lakh existing television households plus another 200 to 250 lakh new television households for the carriage industry as per industry estimates. How well each of the players in the ecosystem takes advantage of this  potential remains to be seen. The DTH players in the country are adding to their net subscription numbers, going by the combined 7.64 lakh net subscriber additions that the three players in this paper have reported for Q2-2016 as compared to the immediate trailing quarter. Reported capex investments to the extent of Rs 250 crore in the current quarter and Rs 211 crore in the previous quarter by Airtel DTH and Rs 246 crore in Q2-2016 and Rs 153 crore in Q1-2016 by Videocon d2h indicate that the DTH players are intent on gaining a large portion of this opportunity.

    An Icra Research Services paper of September 2015 on TV Distribution says that DTH players remain well positioned for tapping growth opportunities in Phase III and Phase IV markets due to inherent technology advantage and easier access to cable dark areas. Moreover, incremental investments towards the establishment of infrastructure in the rural markets and relatively high operating costs render it commercially unviable for national MSOs to enter such markets.

    The rural markets continue to remain cost sensitive; hence, MSOs and DTH players are also looking at introducing plain vanilla set top boxes (STBs) specifically for these markets to encourage subscribers to migrate. In this direction, Dish TV launched a lower priced STB under the brand name of Zing, the base pack of which is typically 20 per cent lower than a regular Dish TV STB. Amongst other measures, distributors are also evaluating channel packages with focus on regional content. The media consumption in Phase III and Phase IV markets are driven by regional content and hence such packages are expected to help distributors further expand their subscriber universe in these markets says the Icra report.

    HD channels is another opportunity that DTH players have sensed. Sensing a strong business opportunity Videocon d2h has started augmenting a new strategy early this year. With the number of HD channels set to increase in the coming years, Videocon d2h, which also manufactures STBs, will be phasing out its Standard Definition (SD) STBs over the next year or so. Videocon d2h is looking at 50 to 60 per cent acquisitions in the HD STB space.

    In early May 2015, while speaking at the Asia Pacific Video Operators Summit (APOS) held in Bali, Videocon d2h’s Khera had said, “The cost of difference between SD and HD set top boxes for us is only one and half dollar. In terms of gross adds, the market has been consistently growing and we have seen a growth of eighty to ninety lakh new additions in a year. Net additions has been a challenge, and the industry has been able to get net addition of fifty to sixty lakh. As far as the rotation churn is concerned how one retains customers and provides additional services, is a big challenge.”

    This brings forth another challenge-bandwidth allocation with a limited satellite bandwidth available. Projecting that there would be at least a hundred HD channels over the next one and a half year, Khera had then said, “All the Hindi and English general entertainment channels and movie channels will have a HD and SD feed.” That was six months ago.

    The cut-off date for DAS Phase III – 31 December, 2015 is less than a month away and for DAS IV – 31 December, 2016 just a little more than a year away. Initially the next 13 months followed by a year or two is the period required by the industry to gain some sort of maturity and have a semblance of stability. The next two to four years are going to be real chaotic and exciting times for the carriage industry. For now, the existing analogue consumers and the new television households, are the real low hanging fruits that can be plucked with relative ease. Post digitisation the game will be different, probably with a different set of unwritten rules (and most probably written rules on the path to market maturity).

  • DD Freedish to acquire ByDesign’s CAS technology for MPEG4 expansion

    DD Freedish to acquire ByDesign’s CAS technology for MPEG4 expansion

    NEW DELHI: Doordarshan’s free-to-air (FTA) direct to home (DTH) service Freedish is planning to acquire Bangalore based ByDesign India’s conditional access system (CAS) so as to increase its channel offerings to 112 from the current 64 by the end of March 2016.

     

    In conversation with Indiantelevision.com, DD Director General C Lalrosanga said that the DTH player will switch over to MPEG 4 from the current MPEG 2 in two phases. “The first phase may begin by early next month,” he informed.

     

    Late last year, the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY) approved a proposal by ByDesign India to develop an Indian conditional access system. ByDesign was to receive a support amount of Rs 19.79 crore from DeitY to develop the new system in association with Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC).

     

    The ByDesign model is totally indigenous and built for DVB-C setup. This CAS solution will enable broadcasters to control access to their services by viewers, and thereby enabling them to extend their business models to subscription based schemes.

     

    This will mean that the Freedish will become encrypted but will remain FTA. In addition to helping increase the number of channels on the platform, this will enable Freedish to gauge the exact number of households relying on Freedish as encrypted set top boxes (STBs) will only be available with authorised dealers.

     

    Lalrosanga said that collection of rural data by the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India had shown that the claims made by Doordarshan about its reach were not erroneous. He said the BARC ratings had shown that both DD and Freedish had a tremendous reach in semi-urban and rural areas all over the country.

     

    Lalrosanga went on to add that many homes were gradually switching over to Freedish as they could then get their entire entertainment for a one-time fee of purchasing a dish, which cost as low as Rs 700 to Rs 1200.

     

    Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar had said earlier this year that Freedish’s aim was to reach 112 channels within a year or so.

     

    At present, there is no vacant slot on Freedish since all channels that were on the platform and whose licences had expired have come back through the 24 e-auctions conducted over the past year.

     

    Interestingly, the two new entrants on the platform – Aaj Tak and Big Magic – are pay channels, which are being run as FTA on Freedish. DD sources said that the reference interconnect agreement signed by these two channels no longer carries any non-discriminatory clause as it refers to Freedish.

     

    Lalrosanga also added that DD was working towards bringing regional language films to the prime time slots over the weekend. Additionally, the pubcaster was actively thinking on the lines of a dedicated channel for children and young people. 

  • Shemaroo Entertainment, Videocon d2h launch religious channel

    Shemaroo Entertainment, Videocon d2h launch religious channel

    MUMBAI: Shemaroo Entertainment has joined hands with Videocon d2h to launch a 24 hr ad free devotional channel “d2h Darshan” according to a press release filed at the bourses by Shemaroo. The channel plans to offer a wide variety of religeous and religion related content such as temple tourism, jaaps, mantras, kathas, popular bhajans, holy Books etc. d2h Darshan can be subscribed at Rs. 30 per month from 1st Dec 2015 and is available for Videocon d2h consumers on channel number 481..

     

    According to the release, d2h Darshan will also attempt to explain the meaning and significance of important elements extracted from the Vedas and other scriptures. The videos programmed on each day of the week will be as per the special significance of that day devoted to a deity. For example Monday is devoted to Shiva, Tuesday for Ganesha, and so on. The channel also plans to offer  customized  content  around important   festivals   and   various   events   based   on   the religious calendar. Shemaroo will draw from its bank of more than 2000 hours of devotional content to specially create this unique service.

     

    Press release quotes

     

    Shemaroo Entertainment Director Hiren Gada said, “Inspite of religion being the way of life in India, there is not enough variety of devotional content available on the television platforms. With the launch of a premium service like d2h Darshan on Videocon d2h, consumers will have access to an array of content. We plan to feature temple documentaries which are almost like a ‘virtual darshan tour’ of some of the most popular shrines across the country.”

     

    Videocon d2h executive chairman Saurabh Dhoot said, “We believe in enriching lives of our valued consumers by providing them varied choice for their entertainment. d2h Darshan is a powerful service which is targeted to a whole segment of viewers who sought these channels as part of their faith and a desire to lead a spiritual lifestyle.”

  • Videocon d2h launches Active HD Hollywood Channel Services

    Videocon d2h launches Active HD Hollywood Channel Services

    MUMBAI: After the first 24-hour 4K Ultra HD multi genre channel in January, Videocon d2h Limited has launched a new active HD Channel – Active HD Hollywood Channel services for its subscribers. Skoda has been roped in as channel partner for this launch. This is a part of Videocon d2h’s ongoing commitment to provide unmatched viewing experience for its subscribers. 

     

    The channel – Active HD Hollywood Channel Services will be available on Ch No. 940 on its network. It will air handpicked Hollywood movies everyday at 9 pm. All High Definition subscribers of Videocon d2h will be able to avail it for free in the initial phase of launch. The service will be available on paid subscription basis from a later date.

     

    Active HD Hollywood Channel Services will showcase a line up of critically acclaimed popular films. With new titles being released every day at 9pm, viewers can look forward to quality Hollywood movies, including such mega-hits as  Pandorum, Broken City, Jobs, Astro Boy, Remember Me, A Single Man, Agoraa, The Women in Black, Blindness, Something Borrowed, The Conspirator, The Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn Part -2, London Boulevard and Now You See Me among others.

     

    “We have observed that there is a genuine requirement to watch highly acclaimed Hollywood movies in HD and there are very few catering to this opportunity”, said Videocon d2h executive chairman Saurabh Dhoot. “Not only are we launching a new premium Hollywood HD movie channel, but we’re bringing value to our consumers. This channel will definitely resonate well with the young audience,” he further added.

     

    Videocon d2h CEO Anil Khera said, “We are excited to offer Hollywood movies fans across India access to high-quality entertainment in HD. With Active HD Hollywood Channel Services, we continue to provide high quality world class programming content delighting consumers. We are confident that our unique content offering of Hollywood movies in HD will make this an instant hit with subscribers.”

     

    Speaking on the same Skoda Auto India sales, service & marketing director Ashutosh Dixit explained, “Skoda looks at innovative platforms that resonate with the brand’s image to connect with its audiences. The audience of the Active Hollywood HD channel largely overlaps with the kind of consumers our brand converses with. This association will benefit both brands and we expect good traction from this partnership.”

  • Arun Kapoor becomes new Dish TV CEO

    Arun Kapoor becomes new Dish TV CEO

    MUMBAI: Dish TV India has informed Bonmbay Stock Exchange that upon the recommendation of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee of the Board, the Board of Directors of the Company at their meeting held on 20 November 2015inter alia, has approved the appointment of Arun Kumar Kapoor as the Chief Executive Officer of the Company with effect from November 23, 2015.

     

    Further, Kapoor, has also been nominated as a ‘Key Managerial Personnel’ of the Company under the applicable provisions of the Companies Act, 2013 and Listing Agreement. Kapoor was earlier CEO of Taj  TV, the Zeel; groups distribution business subsidiary, a post from which he resigned in April 2015.

     

    Dish TV India CMD Jawahar Goel, while welcoming Arun Kapoor on board said, “Arun  brings a  depth of  business experience that  will  be a perfect  complement to  the expertise of Dish TV in  the DTH industry. His business acumen will enhance our ability  to deliver consumer oriented services while also increasing stake holder’s value.”

     

    Kapoor, on his appointment as the CEO of Dish TV, said, “I am delighted to have the opportunity to lead Dish TV at this important stage in its journey and look forward to working with  the Dish TV team to  ensure that  the Company delivers as per its  strategic business objectives.”

     

    It may be recalled that the earlier Dish TV CEO R.C. Venkateish  or RC as he is called had resigned effective October 31, along with a number of personnel at Dish TV following a board meeting on October 27.  The meeting also saw the elevation of managing director Jawahar Goel as Dish TV chairman, and the resignation of non-executive promoter director Subhash Chandra from the board. RC shall however continue to be associated with the company in an advisory role specifically in areas relating to content, legal and regulatory affairs. He shall also continue to represent Dish TV in the DTH Association and before industry and regulatory bodies.

  • Tata Sky ties up with MediaCorp; launches a new English news channel

    Tata Sky ties up with MediaCorp; launches a new English news channel

    MUMBAI: Tata Sky has tied up with Singapore based media company MediaCorp and announced the launch of Channel NewsAsia International on Tata Sky. The memorandum was signed on November 19.

     

    The pan-Asian channel will be available to the subscribers on channel number 535. Channel NewsAsia will be clubbed with the other English news channels available on the DTH platform and is priced at Rs.8. The channel will be a part of the a-la-carte and is a part of Tata Sky’s English news pack.

     

    Channel NewsAsia started in March 1999 and is a Singaporean English language Asian cable television news agency and news channel.  The channel is ranked among the top three most preferred English news channels in Asia and has bagged two awards in the 8th International Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Festival.

     

    NewsAsia’a distribution and marketing VP Chuk Chan Woon says, “Winning awards is just icing on the cake for us”, the channel’s programming is home to award winning content. The channel, in the past five years, has picked up 18 regional and international awards for their content.  In the recent New York fest, the channel has bagged 8 awards. The channel has been nominated for 24 top level categories in the Asain Television awards.

     

    Channel NewsAsia is all charged up to face the competition with the existing English news channels on Tata Sky, though the Chief Content and Business Development Officer of Tata Sky Paolo Agostinelli strongly avers that the launch of Channel NewsAsia in India is not just for competition or numbers. The opening of the channel in India will just expand the news channel list and will provide an additional source of information from around the globe for the sophisticated and evolving news hunters in India.

     

    “Technology spreads awareness amongst the consumers. People are curious because of the internet, increasing literacy rate, the curiosity to know about what is happening around them. Our subscribers want more than what the Indian English news channels offer to them. They consume more news from the International news channels. We want to expand our International news bouquet for our subscribers by giving them a 360 perspective on what is happening.  Adding Channel NewsAsia is just one step closer to our vision”, adds Agostinelli.

     

    Channel NewsAsia’s relentless strive to be the leading news channel across Asia by delivering a much wanted content seems to make a huge difference in the eco system across Asia. Beyond reporting current issues, the channel also documents content to show Asia’s success.  With this new perspective brought in India, the channel foresees a successful penetration in the Indian business.

     

    Speaking with indiantelevision.com, Woon asserted, “We are truly proud to be partnering with Tata Sky. We believe that the platform will give us reach to people pan-India. We are well placed to provide the audience in India a better understanding of the whereabouts around them in a better and efficient way than the rest of Asia.”

     

    Channel NewsAsia is geared up to launch in India with the same feed that is available in the global eco-system. The channel aims at providing increasing cosmopolitan Asian audiences an avenue to know what’s happening in the rest of Asia. The channel’s main focus will not be just reporting stories to the viewers but will also engage the onlookers about everything happening around in a story telling format. The other aim of the channel in India is to reach out to the Indian companies who wish to reach out to the Asian audience.

     

    With the introduction of Channel NewsAsia International, Tata Sky has now expanded its bouquet of news channels to 96, which includes 14 English news channels, 22 Hindi news channels and 57 regional news channels.

  • Dish TV considers deploying 15-20 million multi-layer CAS STBs over 5 years

    Dish TV considers deploying 15-20 million multi-layer CAS STBs over 5 years

    MUMBAI: The Jawahar Goel led Direct-to-home service provider Dish TV India is considering deployment of around 15-20 million Set Top Boxes(STBs) incorporating multi-layer condition access system (CAS) solutions over a period of 5 years and is hopeful of completing the selection process by December 2015. Adoption of multi-layer (CAS) will ward off potential security threats as well as enhance system efficiency going forward.

     

    Further, Dish TV is also toying with deployment of STB’s supporting card-less technology simultaneously. Currently, the DTH operator uses Conax card-based CAS from Nagra and plans to adopt simulcrypting technology going forward..

     

    Dish TV recently issued a request for proposal (RFP) to leading CAS vendors across the globe. Irdeto, Viaccess, Pace, Verimatrix, Cisco, Nagra, Nstv, Conax, Civolution-Nexguard, CRI and SMI are some of the vendors that have shown the interest. The company is currently evaluating all proposals received on a strict core security benchmark and shall select multiple partners keeping its business interests in mind..

     

    With more than 13 million subscribers Dish TV, a part of the Essel Group also provides digital cable television services through its cable distribution arm, Siti Cable (approx. 4 million subscribers). 

     

    Zee Entertainment Enterprise Limited (ZEEL) is the flagship company of the group, and beams more than 100 channels across the globe, through its direct to operator (DTO) arm.

  • Dish files reply with FCC on proposed Time Warner Cable, Merger, says not in public interest

    Dish files reply with FCC on proposed Time Warner Cable, Merger, says not in public interest

    MUMBAI: Dish Network Corporation has filed a reply with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) countering arguments made by Charter Communications, Inc. (Charter), Time Warner Cable, Inc. (TWC) and Bright House Net works (BHN) defending t he proposed merger between t he companies. In t he reply, DISH out lines how t he applicant s have f ailed t o prove t hat t his proposed merger is in t he public interest and reiterates its call for t he FCC t o deny the merger.

     

    “If the proposed merger is approved, 90 percent of the nation’s high speed broadband homes would be cont rolled by two companies, and t he combined ‘New Charter’ would have every incentive t o sabot age OTT services like Sling TV that compete with the old school cable bundle,” said Jeffrey Blum, Dish senior vice president and deputy general counsel. “The proposed merger is harmful for consumers, competition and innovation, and should be denied.”

     

    Following are key point s DISH makes in today’s filing. The complete filing can be found here.

     

    Merger Will Not Serve the Public Interest:

     

    New Charter will have an increased incentive and ability to Harm OVDs:  New Charter would have a particularly heightened incentive t o discriminate against competing OVD services, especially live streaming services like Sling TV – which is a total substitute for linear pay television.

     

    New Charter is Likely t o Increase Broadband Prices, Further Prejudicing Rival OVDs:  New Charter will be able t o deploy another win- win strategy t o make it s broadband business more profitable, while still protecting its linear video business: raise t he price of broadband accesses it her directly or indirectly.

     

    T he Merger Will Create a Dominant Duo poly wit h t he Incentive t o Engage in Anti-Competitive Parallel Conduct:  As Dish explained in it s Pet it ion t o Deny, t his transact ion will create a broadband duopoly, with Comcast and New Charter cont rolling about 90 percent of the high- speed broadband homes in t he country. Parallel action, with one of the two following the other, will be enough to foreclose an OVD from almost all high- speed homes in t he country.

     

    T he Merger “Benefits” are Nothing More than Repackaged Plans and Conjecture: Charter also f ails t o provide any evidence t hat t he combination of Charter wit h TWC and BHN is necessary t o achieve many, if not all, of the benefit s it  t out s. From infrastructure through jobs and cost savings, Charter has offered lit t le more than recycled (non- merger- specific) business plans and conjecture. 

  • Shemaroo launches Miniplex movie service on Tata Sky

    Shemaroo launches Miniplex movie service on Tata Sky

    MUMBAI: After joining hands with Airtel Digital TV, Shemaroo Entertainment has now tied up with yet another DTH operator – Tata Sky to launch its subscription-based movie premiere service Miniplex.

     

    The subscription based ad-free service Miniplex will premiere one movie every Friday for the first time on Indian television as well as other recent movies.

     

    As was reported earlier by Indiantelevision.com, in addition to DTH, Shemaroo also plans to launch Miniplex across other platforms like cable and online in a phased manner.

     

    The monthly subscription price for the service is Rs 60. To activate it, consumers can give a missed call to 9230892308. For HD subscribers, the service is on channel number 298, whereas for SD subscribers, it is on 298.

     

    Shemaroo Entertainment director Hiren Gada said, “Miniplex is a subscription-based movie premiere service curated to cater to movie lovers across the country. We are glad to tie up with Tata Sky for this service. Tata Sky consumers can now enjoy world television premiere of movies on every Friday. Not only this, other movies showcased on the channel are carefully selected set of movies that are not telecasted on television so often.”

     

    The ‘Premieres’ are supported by ‘Premiums,’ which are movies released post 2005. ‘Premiums’ will be showcased for five days of the week with everyday featuring a new movie.

     

    Tata Sky chief content and business strategy officer Paolo Agostinelli added, “To satisfy our subscriber’s hunger for refreshing content, we were glad to tie-up with Shemaroo to provide this collection of movies under the new service called Miniplex. The day-long movie timings, enriched content with the novel concept of premiere and premium movies  ensure the movie-buff’s of Tata Sky have entertainment on their fingertips 24×7.”