ITV

Category: DTH Operator

  • Dish TV seeks more time to convene AGM, defers 27 Sep meeting

    Dish TV seeks more time to convene AGM, defers 27 Sep meeting

    New Delhi: Dish TV has sought additional time to convene the next Annual General Meeting (AGM), which was initially scheduled to be held on 27 September. The company has cited some regulatory approvals, that it needs to obtain before going ahead with the meeting.

    The DTH company has informed the BSE, that its Board of Directors has approved the application for postponing the AGM scheduled on 27 September. The new date of the meeting has not been disclosed yet, however, as per rules, the meeting could happen any time before 30 December.

    Earlier this month, one of its prime shareholders YES Bank, which holds 25.63 per cent stake in Dish TV India Ltd had sent a special notice to the company, seeking the removal of the current directors and managing director. The proposal was to be tabled at the upcoming annual 33rd general meeting.

    In its communique to the stock exchange on Sunday, the company has stated that the proposed changes in the Board are subject to applicable regulatory permissions and also other approvals which the Company requires to obtain. While it has already sent the applications to the Lenders for seeking their consent for the said change in the Board of Directors of the Company under applicable covenants, the approval is still awaited.

    “Accordingly, in order to ensure compliance of all applicable laws and guidelines in respect of the Notices sent by YBL and also to ensure that the Company does not default on any of the regulatory and lender covenants, the Board of Directors of the Company have approved making requisite applications as per provisions of the Companies Act for seeking extension of time under applicable regulatory provisions for convening the AGM of the Company, so that the Company has sufficient time to evaluate, analyse and to ensure compliance of all applicable regulatory, and other approvals as required by the law and avoid any non-compliance to contractual obligations,” it wrote.

    In its special notice to Dish TV, Yes Bank had sought the removal of Rashmi Aggarwal, Shankar Aggarwal, Bhagwan Das Narang, and Ashok Mathai Kurien as directors, along with Jawahar Lal Goel as managing director of the company under Section 169 of the Companies Act, 2013. This would also remove Goel from the post of chairperson of the Company.

    The Bank had alleged that the current Dish TV Board was “not acting in line with good corporate governance standards and is not a fair representation of the incumbent significant shareholders of the Company” which hold about 45 per cent shareholding in the Company.

    In its notice, Yes Bank had also proposed to reconstitute the board with – Yes Bank senior group president and general counsel Sanjay Nambiar, Yes Bank, country head, stressed asset management, Akash Suri, former KPMG executive Viiav Bhatt, litigation counsel Haripriya Padmanabhan,  Wipro’s IT business former Co-CEO Girish Paranjape, independent management consultant Narayan Vasudeo Prabhutendulkar and Arvind Nachaya.

    Dish TV had responded to the notice, stating that the proposed new directors could be appointed only after obtaining approvals from the ministry of information and broadcasting. and other requisite approvals for appointment of new directors, within the statutory timelines.

  • DTH operators write to TRAI over broadcasters offering pay channels on DD Free Dish

    DTH operators write to TRAI over broadcasters offering pay channels on DD Free Dish

    Mumbai: Direct-to-home (DTH) service providers including Tata Sky and Airtel Digital TV have written to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) asking the telecom regulator to address the issue of broadcasters making their pay channels available on Prasar Bharati’s FTA platform DD Free Dish.

    According to the DTH players, this goes against the current tariff regime which mandates the designation of channels as either pay or FTA and prohibits their bundling together. Tata Sky and DTH players want that such designation remains constant across distribution platforms, a matter they had requested the TRAI to look into earlier as well, but to no avail.

    It is being alleged that despite the above mandates and guidelines, broadcasters such as Zee, Sony, Star, Viacom18 and others continue to exploit loopholes to make their second-tier channels like Zee Anmol, Sony Pal, Star Utsav and Colors Rishtey available for free on DD Free Dish in order to increase their reach beyond the pay universe and get more advertising dollars. However, the same channels are present on private distribution platforms as pay channels, in accordance with their MRP filing with TRAI.

    DTH operators say that the practice is highly discriminatory as not only are the private DPOs paying the broadcasters to distribute these channels, but also charging subscribers for the same. On the other hand, DD Free Dish receives a license fee for making them freely available to viewers.  

    Reviving their demand, the DTH players have requested the TRAI to level the playing field for the public service broadcaster and themselves in this regard.

    Tata Sky CEO Harit Nagpal says that he is not against these channels being free nor is he asking the broadcasters to pull them off DD Free Dish, but asking for a level-playing field and parity. “We are just demanding that if these channels are available as free on DD Free Dish, it should also be the case on my platform. There are about 20 FTA channels on DD Free Dish that are being offered to my viewers at a price anywhere between ten paise – three rupees, which is highly discriminatory,” he says.

    Responding to the TRAI’s contention of DD Free Dish not being covered under NTO, he says that the regulator misses the point here. “This is not about DD Free Dish, but the channels,” states Nagpal.

    A senior official from a leading cable operator remarks, “I am not sure but the broadcasters may be taking advantage of a legal loophole where TRAI cannot regulate DD Free Dish which comes under Prasar Bharati. A channel that is allotted a slot on DD Free Dish may immediately gain 50 GRPs while FTA channels not on the free DTH players are struggling at seven GRPs. That’s the advantage of DD Free Dish.  Broadcasters slowly want to move pay-TV subscribers away from the value chain. In urban markets, they are going direct-to-customer by distributing their channels on their OTT platforms and in rural markets, they are opting for DD Free Dish. This practice boosts both advertising and subscription revenues for broadcasters.”

    Calling the unfair practice a “double whammy” for DPOs, he reveals that TV broadcasters are ready to pay Rs 8-16 crore in advance to be allotted a slot on DD Free Dish. “They are paying an enormous carriage fee and not charging a subscription fee for their pay channels on DD Free Dish whereas on cable and DTH operators they are paying much lower carriage fees and are charging a subscription fee. It’s a complete double negative.”

    It is important to note here that as per the new tariff order, 1.0 carriage fees on DTH and cable operators are capped at four lakh per month. According to TRAI performance indicator report Jan-March, DTH subscribers declined by 1.4 million at the end of March. 

    The unnatural growth in the number of pay channels on DD Free Dish has unbalanced the equation for cable and DTH operators. “Reports say that 40-50 per cent of the urban markets are already on OTT platforms. The rural market is still growing where broadcasters are trying to cut out ‘middle men’ like cable and DTH operators. This will slowly lead to the decline of the industry in five to ten years,” he reckons.

    Like Nagpal, he also demands that either the broadcasters should pull their pay channels from DD Free Dish or they should make those channels FTA for all DPOs. If there is parity on all platforms, no one will complain. 

  • Tata Sky’s new ad promotes aggressively priced Thalaiva pack

    Tata Sky’s new ad promotes aggressively priced Thalaiva pack

    Mumbai: Content distribution platform and pay-TV platform Tata Sky has launched a new campaign for potential customers in Tamil Nadu.

    The narrative of the campaign “Vera Level” communicates the elevated entertainment options that are offered by a Tata Sky connection – highlighting the regional family packs available along with a one-touch remote for the price-sensitive segment. This includes the Thalaiva pack that “combines the best of Tamil channels, drama, film, kids, news and sports channels curated for the benefit of the entire family,” said the company in a statement.

    Conceptualised by Ogilvy India, the communication plan for the campaign is spread across print, TV, OOH and designed to resonate with metro and non-metro audiences.

    “Regional audience has a very strong connect with their TV sets and what they watch in it. Keeping this in mind, Tata Sky has always been at the forefront to make the TV viewing experience worthwhile and engaging,” said Tata Sky, chief communications officer, Anurag Kumar. “Our new campaign for Tamil Nadu beautifully highlights the distinct benefits of a Tata Sky connection and connects with the audiences through their most loved regional catchphrases – ‘Vera Level’ which means taking anything to a superior entertaining level, just like a Tata Sky connection does with its varied offerings and personalised bouquets.”

  • Yes Bank seeks removal of current directors of Dish TV

    Yes Bank seeks removal of current directors of Dish TV

    New Delhi: YES Bank, which holds 25.63 per cent stake in Dish TV India Ltd has sought the removal of the current directors and managing director of the direct-to-home service provider. The bank has recently issued a special notice asking the company to put its proposal to vote at Dish TV’s upcoming annual 33rd general meeting to be held on 27 September.

    “The present board of directors of the Company (“Board”) has approved a rights issue process, pending objections raised with the Board by the Bank time and again, solely to dilute the shareholding of the Bank and to prejudice the interests of inter alia the Bank which is the single largest shareholder of the Company as of date,” it said in its notice.

    Yes Bank has sought the removal of Rashmi Aggarwal, Shankar Aggarwal, Bhagwan Das Narang, and Ashok Mathai Kurien as directors, along with Jawahar Lal Goel as managing director of the company under Section 169 of the Companies Act, 2013. “Moreover, consequent to such removal, Goel shall cease to be the chairperson of the Company with effect from the date of this meeting,” the notice read.

    According to the bank, the Board “is not acting in line with good corporate governance standards and is not a fair representation of the incumbent significant shareholders of the Company” which hold about 45 per cent shareholding in the Company.

    “The Board is purportedly acting at the behest of certain minority shareholders holding merely six per cent of the shares in the Company. This is reflected from the fact that even though the Bank, vide various letters issued to the Board, asked the Board to desist from approving/conducting the proposed capital raising exercise by way of rights issue, the Board, without consulting the significant shareholders of the Company, went ahead to make a press announcement dated 28 May, 2021 regarding its intention to proceed with a Rs 1000 Cr. rights issue,” read the notice.

    According to the bank, the Board has “completely side-lined the multiple requests of the Bank to reconstitute the Board, inter alia, by appointment of the nominee directors.”

    In its notice, Yes Bank has also proposed to reconstitute the board with – Yes Bank senior group president and general counsel Sanjay Nambiar, Yes Bank, country head, stressed asset management, Akash Suri, former KPMG executive Viiav Bhatt, litigation counsel Haripriya Padmanabhan,  Wipro’s IT business former Co-CEO Girish Paranjape, independent management consultant Narayan Vasudeo Prabhutendulkar and Arvind Nachaya.

    Dish TV has responded to the notice, stating that the proposed new directors could be appointed only after obtaining approvals from the ministry of information and broadcasting. and other requisite approvals for appointment of new directors, within the statutory timelines.

  • DTH operators report sharp drop in subscribers in Jan-March: TRAI

    DTH operators report sharp drop in subscribers in Jan-March: TRAI

    Mumbai: The total number of active DTH subscribers declined to 69.57 million at the end of March 2021 from 70.99 million at the end of December 2020, as per the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). This is in addition to the subscribers of DD Free Dish (DTH service of Doordarshan).

    The share of leading DTH players stood at Tata Sky (33.3 per cent), Dish TV India (24.09 per cent), Bharti Telemedia (25.54 per cent), and Sun Direct TV (17.07 per cent).

    A total of 901 satellite TV channels have been permitted by the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) out of which 327 are pay-TV channels. There are 235 SD channels and 92 HD channels. All the other channels permitted by MIB may be considered free-to-air channels.

    There are 1726 MSOs registered with MIB out of which only 12 MSOs and one HITS operator have a subscriber base greater than one million. Siti Networks had 8.2 million subscribers followed by GTPL Hathway at 7.7 million, Hathway Digital at 5.6 million, Den Networks at 4.5 million, Thamizhaga Cable TV Communication at 3.5 million, Kerala Communicators Cable at 3.05 million, Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable at 2.9 million, Fastway Transmissions 2.2 million, NXT Digital (HITS) at 2.05 million, KAL Cable at 2.02 million, VK Digital at 1.7 million, Asianet Digital Network at 1.2 million and NXT Digital (Cable TV) at 1.1 million.

    There are 366 private FM radio channels in 105 cities with 30 private FM radio broadcasters. Odisha Television Ltd, has ceased the operation of its single FM radio station in the city of Rourkela, Odisha. The advertising revenue reported by FM radio broadcasters is Rs 321.52 crore as against Rs 323.01 crore in the previous quarter.

    There are 324 operational community radio stations up from 315 in the previous quarter.

  • Prasar Bharati concludes 55th e-auction; allots two MPEG-4 slots

    Prasar Bharati concludes 55th e-auction; allots two MPEG-4 slots

    Mumbai: Public broadcaster Prasar Bharati has allotted two vacant MPEG-4 slots for its DD Free Dish DTH platform at the end of the 55th e-auction, held on 23 August.

    The successful bids went to the Hindi news and current affairs channels Vertent Samachar Plus 24X7 and FM News. The channels will be available on the free DTH platform starting from 1 September.

    The slots were allotted as per policy guidelines for allotment of DD Free Dish slots notified on 15 January 2019 and amended on 30 March 2019, 1 November 2019, and 22 February 2021. 

    Only satellite channels licensed by the ministry of information and broadcasting for downlinking in India would be allotted slots on DD Free Dish. The bidding for the MPEG-4 slots was open to all genre (language) channels starting at a reserve price of Rs 65.34 lakh.

    The allotment duration lasts from the period 1 September 2021 till 31 March 2022.

  • Prasar Bharati concludes 54th e-auction; adds five new MPEG-2 slots

    Prasar Bharati concludes 54th e-auction; adds five new MPEG-2 slots

    Mumbai: Public broadcaster Prasar Bharati has added five new MPEG-2 slots for its DD Free Dish DTH platform at the end of the 54th e-auction.

    Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) Ishara TV, teleshopping channel Naaptol, music channel Showbox, Marathi channel Sun Marathi, and Bengali channel Enterr10 Bangla have been successful in acquiring slots. The new channels will be on DD Free Dish platform from 16 August onwards.

    The allotment period for the channels is from 16 August, 2021 to 31 March, 2022 and successful bidders will have to make payment in six monthly instalments, said Prasar Bharti.

    The public service broadcaster had invited applications for the vacant slots on 31 July, which were only open to the satellite channels licensed by the ministry of information and broadcasting for downlinking in India. Only license holder companies or their authorised distributor partners could apply for allocation of DD Free Dish slots.

    Applications for the e-auction were received under five different buckets in accordance with genres/language of channel and their starting reserve price for the allotment period.

    The five buckets C, A+, A, B and D are classified as follows.

    Bucket C – news and current affairs (Hindi), news and current affairs (English) and news and current affairs (Punjabi) channels.

    Bucket A+ – All general entertainment (Hindi) channels.

    Bucket A – All movie (Hindi) channels.

    Bucket B – All music (Hindi), sports (Hindi), GEC (Bhojpuri), movies (Bhojpuri) and teleshopping (Hindi) channels.

    Bucket D – All other remaining genres (language) and teleshopping (regional) channels.

  • Tata Sky launches 4K HDR internet streaming service

    Tata Sky launches 4K HDR internet streaming service

    Mumbai: Tata Sky, one of the leading content distribution and Pay TV platforms, has announced the launch of its 4K HDR streaming service. All TVs enabled with 4K HDR can enjoy this service through Tata Sky Binge+ Box at no additional cost for the first year.

    Tata Sky Binge+ subscribers will also get free one-year access to Travelxp channel and six international streaming services like Luxe & Life, Pet & Pal, Wow, Be crazy, Health & Wellness, Sportyfy, and Outdoor Channel available in 4K HDR. This new service will further elevate the content viewing experience of the consumers, the platform said in a statement.

    Commenting on the announcement, Tata Sky’s chief content & commercial officer, Pallavi Puri, said, “Evolving technology has redefined the way users consume content these days. We at Tata Sky have always been committed to providing best-in-class entertainment powered by advanced technology. With the launch of Travelxp 4K HDR streaming service we hope to continue to delight our subscribers with the exceptional viewing experience.”

    Travelxp CEO Prashant Chothani added, “Consumers have been investing in buying high-quality TV sets with ability to play 4K HDR content and with the launch of Travelxp 4K HDR on Tata Sky Binge+, they will now be able to visualise the difference 4K HDR gives to their viewing experience in linear television. Being the world’s first 4K HDR Channel and launched across the globe, the launch in India, our home country is extremely special.”

    The services available under the 4K HDR service will be listed under the Guide section under ‘Internet TV’ pre-filters. Additionally, 4K services will be indicated using the 4K HDR icon in the program information screen and information bar making discoverability of the service easy for the subscribers

  • Tata Sky collaborates with PTC Network to strengthen its regional connect

    Mumbai: Tata Sky has joined hands with the PTC Network to bring back its regional service – ‘Punjab De Rang’, starting today. 

    The revamped service will further strengthen Tata Sky’s regional entertainment portfolio by offering a popular and diverse mix of high-quality Punjabi content, at a nominal cost of Rs 1.5 per day, the company said. This includes exclusive premieres of new Punjabi movies every month, dubbed Hollywood movies, short films, cooking shows, upbeat Punjabi music, and devotional content.

    Tata Sky’s chief commercial & content officer Pallavi Puri said, “Given Tata Sky’s focus on curating quality regional content, we are delighted to bring Tata Sky Punjab De Rang’s fresh avatar, which will further strengthen our offering in the Punjabi speaking markets. The robust content library of PTC Network will elevate the entertainment experience of our subscribers.”

    PTC Network MD & president Rabindra Narayan said, “We are proud to curate the best of Punjabi entertainment sources from USA, UK, Canada and other places besides India for the new-look Punjabi platform service of Tata Sky. The best of Punjabi movies, music, and entertainment is now going to be at the click of a button.”

    The service is also available on the Tata Sky Mobile App.

  • Pandemic drags down DishTV India’s FY’21 financials

    MUMBAI: India’s first DTH operator Dish TV India continues to slog it out to get out of the financial quagmire it has got itself into. That’s despite the fact that the company  has seen a loss of subscribers in its latest quarter ended 31 March 2021 and for the full year, its top line has dipped even as it continues to report losses. According to its audited Q4 FY 21 results released yesterday, Dish TV India  has reported consolidated subscription revenues of Rs  685.2 crore (Rs 776.6 crore in Q4 FY’20) and operating revenues of Rs  751.7 crore (Rs 869.06 crore). EBITDA for the quarter was Rs 426 crore (Rs 543.2 crore). Net loss was Rs 1415.3 crore as against a loss of Rs 1456.2 crore  in the same quarter last year.

    Subscription revenues for the whole year have fallen from Rs 3192.8 crore in FY ’20 to Rs 2987.4 crore in FY’21, even  as operating revenues saw a reduction to Rs 3249.4 crore as against Rs 3556.3 crore in FY20.  EBITDA for the full year fell to Rs 2017 crore as against Rs 2106 crore in FY’20. However, to its credit, it has reduced the red ink on its bottomline to Rs 1189.9 crore as against Rs 1654.8 crore in the previous financial year.

    What helped it shore up its performance in the latest financial year is its hard focus on shaving expenditure which it has reduced by 15 per cent to Rs 1232.4 crore as against Rs 1450.4 crore in FY ’20.  

    Dish TV management said the company has been hit by the sporadic lockdowns due to the ongoing pandemic during the year and the last quarter. “The later part of the fourth quarter saw re-emergence of urban to rural migration, amongst migrant workers. The sporadic lockdowns have left many in the aspiring class with reduced disposable incomes while taking a toll on overall consumer confidence. Subscriber churn, thus remained on the higher side during the quarter and full year,” said Dish TV India group CEO Anil Dua in a press release.

    Additionally, the company largely relied on internal cash flows for capital expenditure and for debt reduction. Hence, it kept a tight rein on capital expenditure which in turn limited new subscriber additions, and when compounded with high subscriber churn, it  led to a net reduction in its subscriber base.

    Overall, Dish TV repaid Rs 213 crore of its debt in the quarter, reducing its loan  exposure to Rs 809.9 crore at end FY’21 as against  Rs 1817.5 crore at end FY20.  

    Said Dish TV chairman & managing director Jawahar Goel: “The year gone by was difficult but has left us stronger with all the innovations and process improvements in place. However, with continuing uncertainties, we maintain a cautious stand. A strong balance sheet boosts confidence in such tough times and our focus on paying down debt and other liabilities is in that direction only.”

    Dua said that investors need to take heart about the positive manner in which Dish TV has pivoted to take advantage of the opportunities that the pandemic has thrown up. “Effectively, the pandemic rushed the need to innovate. Be it artificial intelligence for resolving customer complaints, enabling work-from home for customer care agents and employees, developing set-top-boxes and other key accessories in India, moving trade partners to a fully digital recharge mode or upgrading our OTT platform, Watcho, we rose to the challenges thrown by the trying year while touching new highs in EBITDA margins.”

    What according to the two of them shows promise is the growth in sign-ons to DishTV’s OTT service Watcho to 25 million by FY 21 year end as against just a million users in January 2020.  Said Dua: “At Dish TV India, it has always been our endeavor to meet the entertainment needs of all our subscribers all the time. Watcho is a step in that direction and delivers a seamless, streaming entertainment experience to viewers through future ready technology and diverse content.”

    Dua is quite optimistic about the company’s fortunes pointing to the important role TV continues to play in viewers lives in India, and believes that a revival in discretionary spending, due to economic activity normalizing going forward, will improve business revenues. The company is going ahead with the procedures relating to raising funds through a rights issue totting up to Rs 1,000 crore.