ITV

Category: DTH Operator

  • Videocon d2h rings opening bell at Nasdaq

    Videocon d2h rings opening bell at Nasdaq

    MUMBAI: Direct to home (DTH) operator Videocon d2h has become the first Indian media company to ring the opening bell at Nasdaq stock market in New York on 7 April.

     

    The DTH operator has with this become the first Indian private company since 2000 to list overseas, issuing ADR worth $325 million to the public.

     

    To mark the celebrations, member of parliament, India Rajkumar Dhoot and Videocon d2h managing director Saurabh Dhoot visited the Nasdaq market site at Times Square and rang the symbolic opening bell.

     

    At an approx market cap of $1.15 billion, Videocon d2h has become the most valued Indian company at Nasdaq.

     

    Saurabh Dhoot said, “Our listing on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange is a major corporate milestone for the entire Indian media industry not just Videocon d2h and a testament to the tremendous progress we have made under the Digital India vision of our Prime Minister. This is the success of thousands of Videocon d2h employees working tirelessly and our customers who believed in our brand, product and services. We have just begun…”

     

    As reported earlier by indiantelevision.com, the DTH operator had decided to withdraw its Rs 700 crore Initial Public Offer (IPO) proposal since the company is looking to start the process afresh.

  • Videocon d2h withdraws IPO application; Dhoot to visit Nasdaq

    Videocon d2h withdraws IPO application; Dhoot to visit Nasdaq

    MUMBAI: The direct to home (DTH) arm of Videocon group, Videocon d2h has decided to withdraw its Rs 700 crore Initial Public Offer (IPO) proposal since the company is looking to start the process afresh.

     

    In September 2014, the company had decided to file draft offer documents with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). However, Videocon d2h, through its lead banker Axis Capital, withdrew the documents on 27 March.

     

    Meanwhile, Videocon d2h executive director Saurabh Dhoot along with Silver Eagle chairman and CEO Harry Sloan will visit the Nasdaq Market Site in Times Square and will ring the Opening Bell 7 April at 9:15 am to 9:30 am ET (6:45 pm IST).

     

    The operator had completed its initial listing on the Nasdaq Global Select Market through a business combination transaction with Silver Eagle Acquisition Corp, which is founded by Harry Sloan and Jeff Sagansky, pursuant to which Silver Eagle contributed approximately $273.3 million to Videocon d2h in exchange for equity shares of the operator which was represented by American Depositary Shares (ADSs), which were distributed to Silver Eagle’s stockholders. Public trading of the Videocon d2h ADSs on Nasdaq under the ticker ‘VDTH’ commenced at the opening of trading on 1 April this year.

     

    On the day of the opening, the approximately $37.75 million Videocon d2h ADSs issued to Silver Eagle stockholders were valued at approximately $453 million based on the opening price of $12 per ADS on Nasdaq. Silver Eagle’s capital infusion in the operator represents one of the largest platform investment deals in Indian media by US investors.

     

    Sloan based on reports had stated that US investor interest in the transaction has been strong as it affords US investors the opportunity to participate early in the US listing of Videocon d2h. “It is the fastest growing DTH Pay-TV operator in India and the fastest growing pay TV market in the world. Beyond this very significant organic growth, we will be exploring numerous possibilities for the company to expand as a force in India’s developing media business,” Sloan had remarked.

     

    The regulator SEBI in February, had decided to keep the processing of the company’s offer document in “abeyance” following a request made by Videocon d2h in this regard. The company was looking at garnering Rs 50 crore through a pre-IPO placement of its shares to institutional investors, according to media reports. The funds were to be used for acquiring set-top boxes (STBs), outdoor units and accessories thereof, repayment/prepayment of certain indebtedness and general corporate purposes. In December 2012 too it had filed draft documents under the name ‘Bharat Business Channel’ with Sebi to raise Rs 700 crore through an IPO. But the company did not launch the same due to bad market conditions.

     

  • Tata Sky doubles pace of team handling service disruption complaints

    Tata Sky doubles pace of team handling service disruption complaints

    MUMBAI: Direct to home (DTH) operator Tata Sky has been having sleepless nights in order to ensure that services are restored soon to its customers, who have been impacted by disruption in signals.

     

    According to Tata Sky CEO Harit Nagpal, the services will be restored in a couple of days. “Around 25,000 of our one crore customers have been experiencing disruption. This is because of our technology upgrade, which we undertake every three months. It is an ongoing process,” Nagpal tells Indiantelevision.com.

     

    The process is being undertaken to ensure that the DTH operator’s customers receive enhanced services. Nagpal further informs that the company is working hard to reach out to the affected 25,000 customers. The upgrade is being undertaken for technology compression purposes to enhance the channel carrying capacity of the operator.

     

    “Our services continue. They have not been impacted. We have also doubled the pace of our team handling the complaints. During the entire weekend, nobody slept,” states Nagpal when queried about them reaching out to customers experiencing the disruption in services.

     

    While a similar disruption had impacted close to 17,000 customers of Tata Sky last month, Nagpal says that this time around, the company had informed its audiences well in advance by coming up with a campaign on television. 

     

    Customers facing signal issues have also been asked to give a missed call on 0 88998 88998 or SMS ‘NS’ to 56633 on the operator’s website.

  • Airtel Digital TV unveils three-pronged strategy for growth

    Airtel Digital TV unveils three-pronged strategy for growth

    MUMBAI: The Direct To Home (DTH) arm of Bharti Airtel – Airtel Digital TV has reached the 10 million customer mark. The company has achieved the feat within a period of six years. As part of its growth plans ahead, the operator has decided to chalk out three key strategies.

     

    Firstly, the company is all set to add 12 new channels to its bouquet taking its portfolio up to 500 channels and services. In addition, it will also expand the High Definition (HD) portfolio to over 50 HD channels making it one of the largest HD bouquets in the industry. Last but not the least, the operator has also decided to expand the regional portfolio soon to offer the highest number of channels in Assamese, Gujarati, Kannada and Tamil languages.

     

    Airtel Digital TV CEO Shashi Arora said, “Innovation and customer satisfaction is the core of our DNA. As we look back, we take pride in the product and service innovations that we have brought to the industry. These offerings have not only helped increase customer stickiness but have also made us one of the fastest growing DTH companies today. We will continue to go this path and offer customers world class content and television viewing.”

     

     

    The operator also claims that it was the first to introduce the Universal Remote to the market along with value added services like Multi-lingual EPG, World’s first USSD-based self-care facility on mobile among others. The recently launched Integrated Digital TV (iDTV) was pioneered in partnership with TV manufacturer, the iDTV technology miniaturized set-top-box into a small yet efficient smart card that fit directly at the back panel of television sets with minimal wiring and a single remote thereby offering customers a superior and world class experience adds the operator.

  • Videocon d2h with $1.15 bn market cap set to become most valued Indian co. on NASDAQ

    Videocon d2h with $1.15 bn market cap set to become most valued Indian co. on NASDAQ

    MUMBAI: Videocon d2h has closed the IPO process and is getting listed on NASDAQ, issuing American Depositary Receipt (ADR) worth $325 million to the public with current market cap of $1.15 billion.

     

    Videocon d2h IPO has created several milestones by becoming the first Indian private company since the year 2000 to list overseas, largest Indian IPO in US since 2007 and first sizeable Indian listing on US exchanges since 2010, clearly indicating the renewed global focus on India. The IPO has caught the attention of Top US funds with several multi billion dollar funds investing into the IPO.

     

    At expected market cap of $1.15 billion, Videocon d2h will become the most valued Indian company on Nasdaq.

     

    Videocon d2h managing director Saurabh Dhoot said, “Our listing on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange is a major corporate milestone for the entire Indian media industry not just Videocon d2h and a testament to the tremendous progress we have made under the Digital India vision of our Hon’ble Prime Minister. This is the success of thousands of Videocon d2h employees working tirelessly and our customers who believed in our brand, product and services. We have just begun.”

     

    Videocon d2h has launched many firsts in the Indian DTH industry like the first to launch the 4K Ultra HD Channel, 1000 GB High Definition Digital Video Recorder, Radio Frequency Remote for DTH, Wireless DTH Headphones, 500 channels and services.

  • Bhojpuri channel Anjan TV hops on to Videocon d2h platform

    Bhojpuri channel Anjan TV hops on to Videocon d2h platform

    MUMBAI: Bhojpuri entertainment channel Anjan TV is looking at increasing its viewership and as part of this has signed a deal with direct to home (DTH) operator Videocon d2h.

     

    The channel will be available on channel number 861 on the platform. Anjan TV is also available on Airtel Digital TV and all the multi system operator (MSO) platforms in Bihar and Jharkhand. 

     

    With this, the channel will be available to 12.8 million households across India as a free-to-air channel. The channel is currently in talks with other DTH operators such as Tata Sky, Reliance DTH, etc.

     

    Carving a niche for itself, the channel offers a programming mix of movies, music, daily soaps, reality, crime, cookery, comedy, travel and lifestyle shows.

     

    “We are delighted to be associated with Videocon d2h and are looking forward to cater to the needs of its subscriber’s base across India. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome and promise a wholesome entertainment to all our new viewers through this platform,” said Anjan TV channel head Anshuman Tripathi.

     

    Videocon d2h CEO Anil Khera added, “We continue to add more variety and value through our offerings. We want to offer the whole gamut of channels and services empowering the consumer to opt for his preferred choice of language. We believe in delivering the best for our customers and are hopeful of achieving better penetration, through the addition of this channel.”

     

  • Tata Sky chooses Elemental Technologies for 4K video service

    Tata Sky chooses Elemental Technologies for 4K video service

    MUMBAI: Direct-to-home (DTH) operator Tata Sky has chosen Elemental Technologies’ software to process Ultra HD live linear content in high-efficiency video coding (HEVC/H.265) for delivery to Tata Sky 4K-ready set-top boxes.

     

    Elemental Technologies is a supplier of software-defined video solutions for multiscreen content delivery. Selected by Tata Sky based on its reliable delivery of high-quality live 4K content in HEVC, Elemental is the sole video processing software selected for the subcontinent’s first commercial 4K service delivered to end-users.

     

    A joint venture between the Tata Group and 21st Century Fox, Tata Sky deployed the latest 4K service and set-top boxes in advance of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 tournament currently underway in Australia and New Zealand. Software-based Elemental Live systems perform real time processing of Tata Sky 4K content in HEVC at 60/50fps for linear streaming to Tata Sky 4K STBs.

     

    “We pride ourselves for being at the forefront of technology and delivering world class TV experiences to our viewers. The Tata Sky 4K service is an example of not only keeping up with changing times, but in fact giving our viewers a pioneering technology that the world would follow. The seamless integration between Ericsson and Elemental HEVC compression technology for live 4K streaming enables us to reinforce our technology and industry leadership positions, further adding to our delighted subscriber base,” said Tata Sky CEO and managing director Harit Nagpal.

     

    “Tata Sky has selected Elemental video processing to bring 4K content programming to the India market. We are proud to provide Tata Sky with our software-defined video solutions to deliver unbeatable picture quality,” added Elemental Technologies senior vice president worldwide sales Dan Marshall.

     

    The new generation 4K UHD Tata Sky STB is capable of delivering Ultra HD picture quality and Dolby Digital Plus 7.1 surround sound. Viewers can enjoy 8.3 megapixel (3840×2160) video, which is approximately four times the pixel count compared to the current HD standard, offering far greater clarity and more vivid colors on screen. In addition to 4K content, the set-top box also showcases standard definition (SD) and HD TV channels.

     

    Elemental will also showcase its suite of software-defined video solutions at the NexTV Summit in Mumbai on 7 April, 2015.

  • Tata Sky expands content offering; to add 20 channels

    Tata Sky expands content offering; to add 20 channels

    MUMBAI: By introducing a new compression technology to its network, Direct To Home (DTH) operator Tata Sky will soon be adding 20 new channels to its platform including an unspecified number of HD channels.

     

    At present, Tata Sky offers 300 channels. The upgrade work meanwhile has hurt close to 17,000 subscribers who received disrupted services during the last few days. The DTH operator has a subscription base of 10 million active subscribers.

     

    According to a PTI report, Tata Sky CEO Harit Nagpal said that the company had got additional capacity due to its timely decision to shift from MPEG 2 format to MPEG 4 format. “It cost us money, but helped us,” he said.

     

    Due to the digitisation programme, Tata Sky is expecting the DTH industry to add four million subscribers every year. Nagpal foresees the industry to grow in the next five to six years as there is enough opportunity since digitisation of analogue delivery system of home cable TV is in progress.

     

    The operator is also undergoing a tariff hike for its subscribers. “Every year, we go for a price hike in March, which is roughly four per cent. Last year, it was Rs 230 and this year we have increased it to Rs 240,” he told PTI.

     

    The company has average revenue per user (ARPU) of Rs 250 and has a growth of over five per cent on a year-on-year basis. Nagpal stated that Tata Sky would like to keep its ARPU constant and grow its base by adding customers from small places.

     

    He also informed that the disruption in services was because the platform changed compression standards every three to four months. To address the concerns of its customers, the DTH operator has sent its engineers to their place to resolve the issue.

  • DTH cos depend on foreign satellites due to Ku Band capacity shortage in Indian satellites

    DTH cos depend on foreign satellites due to Ku Band capacity shortage in Indian satellites

    NEW DELHI: Indian direct-to-home operators depend on foreign satellites due to shortage of Ku band transponders on Indian satellites.

    The Parliament was informed on 11 March that a total of 77.89 (36 MHz equivalent) Ku band transponders are used by Indian DTH operators for DTH services.

     

    Out of a total of 77.89 transponders, 19 transponders are in INSAT/GSAT satellites and 58.89 leased from foreign satellites. 

    The DTH service providers are using foreign satellites since sufficient capacity of Ku Band transponders is not available in INSAT/GSAT satellites, Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Dr Jitendra Singh said. 

    The commercial, societal and defence service users have been using their allocated capacity as per their usage plan subject to receipt of regulatory approvals. 

     

    The allocation process is in progress for about 46 transponders (in C, Extended-C and Ku Bands), which are vacant at present. 

     

    Dr Singh had said recently that a total of six communication satelites – GSAT-15, GSAT-9, GSAT-6, GSAT-6A, GSAT-7A and GSAT-11 – are being developed indigenously as part of the XII Five Year Plan (2012-17).

     

    A total of 95 Ku-band (a part of K band) transponders onboard indigenous communication satellites are being utilised for various communication applications, he had told Parliament last month.

  • DTH players react to Budget 2015

    DTH players react to Budget 2015

    MUMBAI: Some time before the presentation of the budget, the Direct-To-Home (DTH) Operators’ Association of India had sent its wish list to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) asking for certain demands to be fulfilled for the sector. The Budget 2015 saw a strong no-no with an increase in service tax from the current 12.36 per cent to 14 per cent and the demands not being fulfilled. Additionally, the date for the roll out of Goods and Service Tax (GST) has been announced.

    Expressing his displeasure on the same, Videocon d2h CEO Anil Khera tells Indiantelevision.com, “The DTH and cable sector were ignored in the budget. The hike in the service tax will further be passed on to the consumers through the packs. Nothing from the wish list was taken into account.”

     

    It may be recalled that the wish list had asked the service tax for DTH services to be put in the negative list of service tax. It had also demanded for infrastructure status for the DTH sector.
     
    When asked for his reaction to the budget, DTH Operators’ Association president and Dish TV CEO RC Venkateish opines that he is happy that the GST date has been announced, while it was already known that the increase in service tax would be increased in two stages. “While the announcement of the GST date i.e 1 April, 2016 will have benefits, for the short term one would pay that extra one per cent, which is not material. The GST implementation will give us a substantial reduction in overall taxes,” he says.

     

    Echoing his thoughts on the Budget 2015, Tata Sky CEO Harit Nagpal says that he was hoping that at least one of the two taxes that the industry pays to the Centre and the State would be absorbed, which did not happen. “We are the only industry that pays service tax to the Centre and entertainment tax to the state,” says Nagpal. 

     

    According to him, this long standing demand to negate one of the taxes was not granted and instead what one saw was the service tax being hiked. Differing with Khera’s point of view, Nagpal informs that the increase will not be passed on to the subscribers through an increase in price packs as the amount is minimal which is one per cent.