ITV

Category: DTH Operator

  • Q3-2015: Dish Network net income up 34.2%; ARPU up 2.7%; subscriber base down

    Q3-2015: Dish Network net income up 34.2%; ARPU up 2.7%; subscriber base down

    BENGALURU: Dish Network Corporation reported revenue totalling $3.73 billion for the quarter ending 30 September, 2015 (current quarter, Q3-2015), compared to $3.68 billion for the corresponding period in 2014. Subscriber related revenue increased to $3.7 billion from $3.65 billion in the year-ago period.

     

    Net income attributable to Dish Network totalled $196 million for the current quarter, compared to net income of $146 million from the year-ago quarter. Diluted earnings per share for Q3-2015 were $0.42, compared with $0.31 during Q3-2014.

     

    For Q3-2015 and 9M-2015, Dish has included all of its Sling TV live, linear streaming over-the-top Internet-based television services in the company’s total Pay-TV metrics, including in the Pay-TV subscriber, Pay-TV ARPU and Pay-TV churn rate numbers set forth below. Sling TV subscribers are included net of disconnects.

     

    In the current quarter, Dish activated approximately 751,000 gross new Pay-TV subscribers, compared to approximately 691,000 gross new Pay-TV subscribers in Q3-2015. Net Pay-TV subscribers declined approximately 23,000 in Q3-2015, compared to a loss of approximately 12,000 in the third quarter of 2014.

     

    The company closed Q3-2015 with 13.909 million Pay-TV subscribers, compared to 14.041 million Pay-TV subscribers at the end Q3-2014. Pay-TV ARPU for the third quarter totalled $86.33, compared to the year-ago period’s Pay-TV ARPU of $84.39. Pay-TV subscriber churn rate was 1.86 per cent versus 1.67 per cent Q3-2014.

     

    Dish claims that its added approximately 13,000 net broadband subscribers in the current quarter, bringing its broadband subscriber base to approximately 608,000.

  • Tata Sky targets DAS Phase III areas with celebrity driven ad campaign

    Tata Sky targets DAS Phase III areas with celebrity driven ad campaign

    MUMBAI: In a bid to capture a chunk of analogue cable users in Phase III areas of Digital Addressable System (DAS), direct to home (DTH) platform Tata Sky has launched a celebrity driven ad campaign to generate awareness about digitisaton.

     

    The ‘Missed Call’ ad campaign, which features actors Kangana Ranaut and Dhanush, aims to bring on board customers who are still on analogue cable.

     

    With this campaign, Tata Sky is looking to target the 40 million households residing in 7,000 towns and cities, which will now witness the next phase of digitisation.

     

    Tata Sky CCO Malay Dikshit said, “When we asked new Tata Sky subscribers on what motivated them to come aboard our platform, they gave us some brilliant insights on why they saw great value in getting Tata Sky at home. This campaign presents these insights in simple and direct narratives delivered through rooted and relatable characters played by Kanagna and Dhanush, both fine actors. This is our initiative to drive digitisation in DAS III markets.”

     

    The series of three ad films with each actor, leaves viewers with a sense of realisation and a smile. It also highlights payment flexibility options such as daily recharge and various monthly subscription packs.

     

    The ‘Missed Call’ campaign launched in the South with Dhanush is targeting 1200 towns that have been identified under DAS III and have the least DTH penetration. Tata Sky offers a range of innovative offerings and has been expanding its bouquet of channels across regional languages.

     

    Commenting on the thought process behind the new communication, Ogilvy India ECD Sukesh Nayak said, “Tata Sky is the segment leader who is known for innovation and redefining the sector with its value propositions. The hard hitting, single take talkies are delivered by Kanagna and Dhanush, who play an average Indian consumer, who are delighted with a Tata Sky connection at home.”

     

    Ensuring its reach is extended to the hinterland, Tata Sky has launched the campaign in 11 languages namely Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Assamese, Odiya, Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Bengali as well as in four dialects namely Manipuri, Bhojpuri, Marwadi and Tulu.

     

    The ‘Missed Call’ marketing campaign includes TV, print, outdoors, cinema halls and radio.

  • DishTV to provide customised offers for subscribers

    DishTV to provide customised offers for subscribers

    MUMBAI: Direct to home (DTH) brand DishTV has introduced an innovative initiative called ‘Only for You,’ which empowers its customers with tailor-made offers best suited to their needs.

     

    ‘Only for You’ is an informative platform that will offer DishTV customers the best available product or service across packages, recharge offers, value-added service and any other local promotional offer currently available on DishTV.

     

    DishTV India chief operating officer Salil Kapoor said, “Every consumer is unique with different needs or priorities. In today’s day and age, analytics help you track consumer behaviour and preferences and therefore offers relevant solutions at micro level. Only for You is one such initiative.”

     

    Customers can access this initiative by calling 9990599905.

  • Tata Sky deploys Brocade to boost data center capacity

    Tata Sky deploys Brocade to boost data center capacity

    MUMBAI: Faced with exponential growth in demand for satellite broadcaster and interactive TV services, direct-to-home (DTH) satellite broadcaster Tata Sky has selected an advanced networking system from Brocade to significantly boost data center capacity.

     

    Tata Sky has been using Brocade network switches for its call center operations. Now, as part of a broader upgrade at its key data center that also increases data storage system capacity from Brocade, the company is set to deploy an efficient and highly scalable Ethernet fabric based on Brocade VDX 6740 switches and Brocade VCS Fabric technology.

     

    Compared to the conventional three-tier switching infrastructure it will replace, the Brocade network solution operates as a single layer and as a single virtual device that delivers low-latency application performance and a much better user experience.

     

    “Tata Sky’s partnership with Brocade is strategic and long term. The core engineering talent and passion to deliver stands out at Brocade. We are planning to consolidate our data centers and Brocade will be our preferred networking partner. High throughput, no latency, and the highest level of automation are key features of Brocade technology that are directly relevant for our IT infrastructure,” said Tata Sky chief information officer Ravishanker.N.

     

    “The explosive demand for increasingly high-resolution video content across all platforms is making the media and entertainment industry one of the hottest areas in terms of adopting new network technology. Tata Sky will be moving straight to the leading edge with a data center Ethernet fabric that will enable it to scale its network almost effortlessly. The intelligent foundation for the increased virtualisation of its data center operations will also give it the agility to better deal with spikes in service demand,” added Brocade Australia and New Zealand senior director Gary Denman.

     

    As part of this solution, Brocade VDX 6740 switches support the VCS Fabric technology, which enables a high-performance switching cluster of interconnected switches that are manageable as a single device. By adding switches to the fabric – which is a simple matter of activating the 40 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) interconnects and powering up the devices – Tata Sky will be able to enjoy linear data center scalability in cost-effective increments.

     

    The Brocade VDX switches are designed to support the high-bandwidth demands of virtual machine hosts, delivering a high density of wire-speed 10 GbE ports in a top-of-rack configuration. The low-latency port-to-port performance across the VCS fabric enables it to efficiently manage the high level of “East-West” traffic typical of cloud data centers. The VCS fabric will also provide Tata Sky with a very high level of network automation and virtual machine awareness, helping to greatly increase the agility of its data center operations.

  • DTH payment system provider BuySmart completes a Decade

    DTH payment system provider BuySmart completes a Decade

    MUMBAI: Starting their operations in 2005, the Indo-Israeli company began with Tata Sky, Videocon D2H and Sun DTH as their earliest clients and taking their service offering across India through an electronic distribution system. Over the next few years, the company strengthened its digital distribution on a pan India presence and also built a payment super highway with a scalable and robust technology that supports their B2B2C business model.

     

    EPRS BuySmart has, since then, expanded into offering a basket of products through their strong network of more 2.5 lakh retail outlets in more than 35,000 towns in India. As their technology works in the absence of strong Internet infrastructure also, the company has been able to reach Tier III/IV towns and villages in India, and currently, the company counts more than 300,000+ transactions/day on their platform. With the earlier focus on telecom & DTH, the company has now expanded into financial, logistics, utility payment and e-commerce segments of business with association with Tata Sky, Airtel, ICICI Bank, RBL, Dish TV, and Reliance BIG TV to name a few.

     

    Speaking on the occasion of the company’s 10th anniversary, Himanshoo Patil, Chief Executive Officer, EPRS-BuySmart, said, “EPRS-BuySmart was established with a view of revolutionizing the digital distribution and payment industry and help service providers reach out to all corners of the country and enable SMEs/entrepreneurs to offers consumer services at their retail points. I am glad that in these 10 years we have been able to come up as the catalyst of growth, prosperity and empowerment for the bottom of the pyramid population as well for the small business owners. It is encouraging to see that what EPRS-BuySmart is doing is in line with the current agenda of our nation’s leadership. We look forward to taking this forward in building a stronger brand over the next decade!”

     

    The company’s proposition to enable product sales on demand, at 2.5 lakh retail points across the nation is unique and unmatched, thus allowing the manufacturers and brands to save 20% on their cost in reaching out to end customers in a quick, economical and effective way.

     

    Services based on cutting-edge technology have helped create opportunities and employment for retailers at the bottom of the pyramid while exposing Indians at every corner of the country to mainstream services and products. EPRS BuySmart looks to further its vision by investing in their technology to offer a larger bouquet of products in the future.

  • Q2-2016: Dish TV PAT at Rs 87 crore; adds 3.38 lakh subscribers

    Q2-2016: Dish TV PAT at Rs 87 crore; adds 3.38 lakh subscribers

    BENGALURU: This is the third consecutive quarter that direct to home (DTH) company Dish TV has reported growth across important financial and operational parameters including operating revenues (TIO), profit after tax (PAT) and subscription numbers.

     

    Last fiscal and quarter (year and quarter ended 31 March, 2015, Q4-2015), the Subhash Chandra led Essel Group’s DTH operator Dish TV Limited turned the corner with a consolidated profit after tax (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 the first among listed DTH companies in the country in FY-2015 and Q4-2015 to report PAT as opposed to the operating profits reported by a segment of the other Goliaths for whom DTH services is just another small segment.

     

    Note:

    (1)100,00,000 = 100 Lakh = 10 million = 1 crore

    (2) With effect from April 1, 2015, Dish TV says that it has started netting-off certain collection fees paid to its trade partners from its topline. This has resulted in the company’s topline getting shrunk by around four per cent, with a similar number being decreased from the middle line. The values for the prior comparative periods have also been recast to reflect the same.

    (3) Dish TV recently transferred its non-core business (including set-top boxes, dish antenna and related services) to its wholly owned subsidiary Dish Infra Services Private Limited (formerly known as Xingmedia Distribution Private Limited) on 1 April, 2015 on a going concern basis.

     

    For the current quarter ended 30 September, 2015 (Q2-2015), Dish TV has reported Operating revenue of Rs 752.42 crore, hence registering a 15.8 per cent YoY growth as compared to Q2-2015’s number of Rs 649.90 crore and a 2.1 per cent QoQ growth as compared to Rs 736.68 crore.

     

    The company reported PAT of Rs 86.96 crore (11.6 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 60.4 per cent growth in profit as compared to the Rs 54.21 crore (7.4 per cent margin) in the previous quarter.

     

    The company’s subscriber base in Q2-2016 increased by 3.38 lakh to touch 137 lakh as compared to the 133 lakh reported at the end of the previous quarter (Q1-2016).

     

    Dish TV reported a YoY growth in Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) 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.”

     

    Let’s look at the other numbers reported by Dish TV

     

    Dish TV’s total expenditure in Q2-2016 at Rs 630.44 crore (83.8 per cent of TIO) declined 1.5 per cent as compared to the Rs 639.90 crore (98.5 per cent of TIO) in Q2-2015 and declined 4.4 per cent as compared to the Rs 659.69 crore (89.5 per cent of TIO) in Q1-2016.

     

    A major expense head is content cost comprising programming, content and other costs. In Q2-2016 content cost at Rs 203.54 crore (27.1 per cent of TIO) was 17.1 per cent more than the Rs25.27 crore (29.7 per cent of TIO), but was 14.7 per cent lower than the Rs 212.01 crore (28.8 per cent of TIO) in the previous quarter.

     

    Employee Benefit Expense (EBE) in Q2-2016 at Rs 29.58 crore (3.9 per cent of TIO) increased 17.1 per cent as compared to the Rs 25.27 crore (3.9 per cent of TIO) in Q2-2015, but declined 14.7 per cent as compared to the 34.67 crore (4.7 per cent of TIO) in Q1-2016.

     

    Dish TV’s selling and distribution expense in Q2-2016 declined 26.1 per cent to Rs 68.09 crore (nine per cent of TIO) as compared to the Rs 92.09 crore (14.2 per cent of TIO) in the corresponding year ago quarter, but was 2.6 per cent more than the Rs 66.34 crore (nine per cent of TIO) in the immediate trailing quarter.

     

    Dish TV managing director Jawahar Goel said, “Dish TV continued to actively contribute to the ‘Digital India’ movement by digitising analog TV homes in DAS phase 3 & 4 markets. A unique product mix and a strong brand recall enabled us to add a healthy 338 thousand net subscribers in a seasonally weak quarter. Our regional offering ‘Zing’ is now available across eight states and continues to be in high demand in its target markets.”

     

    Goel added, “Sticking to our guiding principle of growth with profitability, we enhanced operational efficiencies in the business and are pleased with an all-time high EBITDA margin of 33.9 per cent recorded during the quarter. We were positive at the net level as well and had a free cash flow of Rs. 84.9 crore. As we move ahead, we stay convinced about our pole position being related to our value for money offering and intend to constantly work on it for long term sustainable growth.”

  • Dish TV CEO RC Venkateish resigns

    Dish TV CEO RC Venkateish resigns

    MUMBAI: There’s change coming at the top in India’s oldest DTH operator Dish TV India. The company informed the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) a short while ago that its CEO R.C. Venkateish has resigned following a board meeting earlier today.

     

    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.

     

    Venky or RC as he is commonly called was Dish TV CEO for the past five years and his resignation will be effective from 31 October, 2015, while Chandra’s resignation comes into effect by end of today.

     

    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.

     

    Under his leadership, among other achievements, Dish TV more than doubled its revenues, increased market share and launched various new services including a  sub brand – ‘Zing’ for the regional market as well as turned profitable.

     

    Said Goel, “On behalf of the Board of Directors and the entire company, I want to thank Mr. Venkateish for his outstanding work and leadership in continuing the growth and success story at Dish TV. His term as Chief Executive was marked by outstanding business performance and exemplary leadership in the challenging environment that the DTH sector operates in. Venkateish lead the company with strength, resolve and passion. Dish TV shall benefit with his continued association with it in an advisory role.”

     

    Added RC, ”I have enjoyed every moment of my stint at Dish TV and it was a great experience to lead the company for over five years through a highly complex business environment and to build it to its current position as a strong profitable leader in the DTH space in India. I look forward to seeing the company continue to build on its successful track record of executing on its plans, innovating and expanding the business and remain very confident about its future prospects. I shall continue my association with Dish for the specific projects.”

     

    Meanwhile the company has announced its Q2FY-2016 results. Details of that will follow shortly.

  • Q2-2016: Airtel DTH YoY subscriber base grows 11%; revenue up 13%; EBIDTA up 53%

    Q2-2016: Airtel DTH YoY subscriber base grows 11%; revenue up 13%; EBIDTA up 53%

    BENGALURU: The direct to home (DTH) industry in India is continuing its bloom, if one were to go by the results reported by Bharti Airtel about its Digital TV services (Airtel DTH) for the quarter ended 30 September, 2015 (Q2-2015, current quarter)

     

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

     

    Airtel’s DTH segment reported 12.9 per cent growth in its revenue for the current quarter at Rs 706.8 crore as compared to the Rs 623.6 crore in Q2-2015. EBIDTA increased 53.2 per cent to Rs 234.3 crore (33.1 per cent margin) as compared to the Rs 152.9 crore (24.4 per cent margin)

     

    The company reported a 10.9 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 1.6 per cent QoQ growth from 104.12 crore 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.

     

    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. Mobile data revenue has grown by 60 per cent. With the commercial launch of high speed 4G services across 334 towns and roll-out of 3G services in our gap circles, we are now best positioned in the industry to leverage the fast growing data market. On the regulatory front, we welcome the guidelines issued by DOT on spectrum sharing and trading.”

     

    Airtel’s consolidated revenues for Q2-2016 at Rs 23,836 crore grew by 6.6 per cent (4.3 per cent reported Y-o-Y) on an underlying basis, adjusted for India termination rates reduction and Africa tower assets divestment over the corresponding quarter last year. Consolidated mobile data revenues at Rs 3,806 crore grew by 49.8 per cent YoY, uplifted by data traffic growth of 76.3 per cent.

     

    The company says that adjusted for the impact in reduction of termination rates, India revenues growth accelerated to 13.3 per cent YoY (10.3 per cent reported Y-o-Y). On an underlying basis, mobile revenues grew by 12.3 per cent, Airtel business (B2B) by 19 per cent and Digital TV by 22.6 per cent YoY. Mobile data revenue at Rs 2,893 crore registered a growth of 60.3 per cent YoY in India, led by increase in the data customer base by 27.2 per cent and traffic by 69.9 per cent. Data ARPU has moved up by Rs 42 (YoY) to Rs 193 in Q2-2016, led by 35.9 per cent increase in data usage per customer. Mobile Data revenues contribute to 21.5 per cent of Mobile India revenues vis-?-vis 14.5 per cent in the corresponding quarter last year.

     

    According to the company, consolidated EBITDA at Rs 8,265 crore grew by 6.7 per cent YoY with EBITDA margin expanding by 0.8 per cent to 34.7 per cent, driven by India’s margin expansion by 1.6 per cent Y-o-Y. The resultant consolidated EBIT of Rs 4,011 crore represents a YoY growth of 4.1 per cent, impacted by higher spectrum amortisation expense in India post recent auctions.

  • Geetanjali Kirloskar joins Videocon d2h board as independent director

    Geetanjali Kirloskar joins Videocon d2h board as independent director

    MUMBAI: DTH company Videocon d2h’s shareholders have approved the appointment of Geetanjali Kirloskar as an independent director, subject to the approval of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B).

     

    Kirloskar is an entrepreneur and the chairperson of Sakra World Hospital. She is also a director in Kirloskar Systems Limited and chairs several committees of trade associations such as Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). 

     

    Kirloskar has also been a successful and reputed advertising professional. She ran her own advertising agency – Pratibha Advertising until 1998, when she entered into a joint venture with InterPublic Group Worldwide (IPG Worldwide). She set up the first non-profit venture for cultural integration between two countries, India and Japan, called the India-Japan Initiative (IJI). Kirloskar is also an Honorary Consul for Finland at Bangalore.

     

    “We are delighted to have Mrs. Geetanjali Kirloskar on our board. She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in the fields of advertising, branding and media. She is a multifaceted and multi-dimensional personality, her dynamism and creative pursuits across various industries are well known. I believe that the vast experience that she brings to the table will be of great value in terms of creative aspects for our brand,” said Videocon d2h executive chairman Saurabh Dhoot.

     

    Kirloskar added, “I am an avid user of Videocon d2h services and have tremendous respect for the company’s ability to innovate and grow. I am delighted to join the Videocon d2h board and with my experience in advertising and branding, I look forward to contributing to its continued success.”

     

    A multi-faceted personality, she has also anchored the first reality show of its kind in India – Life’s Like That for Times Now.

  • Tata Sky targets 16 interactive services by March 2016

    Tata Sky targets 16 interactive services by March 2016

    MUMBAI: It was earlier this month that Tata Sky launched its Actve Fitness service at the hands of Bollywood super star Salman Khan. Targeted at health enthusiasts, it provides fitness and yoga videos produced and curated by Adarsh Gupta’s Brilliant TV and actor Suneil Shetty.

     

    Now India’s leading operator says that it is going to launch one new interactive service every month between now and end FY-2016, to take the total to 16. Currently, it runs 10 such services ranging from cooking to Vedic maths to learning English to Urdu poetry renditions byJaved Akhtar.

     

    Speaking to news agency PTI, Tata Sky CEO Harit Nagpal said that interactive services is a “focus area” for the DTH operator. “Now we are shifting to newer audiences, both in cities and rural areas. We need to add more services relevant to these areas.”

     

    The content of these new services will be relevant to its subscribers, said Nagpal.

     

    Tata Sky has around 10 million active subscribers and has earned the reputation as being amongst the innovative DTH players in India. The interactive offerings are priced anywhere between Rs 0.75 per day to Rs 7 a day, depending on the period and the type of service that the customer subscribes.