ITV

Category: DTH Operator

  • Videocon d2h’s new brand campaign to feature Parineeti Chopra

    Videocon d2h’s new brand campaign to feature Parineeti Chopra

    NEW DELHI: Top Bollywood actor and talented personality Parineeti Chopra is to be the new face of Videocon d2h and will feature in their upcoming brand campaign that focuses on Indian values.

     

    Through the new campaign, the brand will showcase its innovative and technologically advanced Unlimited Asli HD Recorder and the new Radio Frequency Remote with earphones which assures convenience and comfort for television viewing.

     

    Videocon director Saurabh Dhoot said, “Indian values epitomize our society. They are a part of our lifestyle and culture. Our new brand campaign featuring Parineeti captures some of these sentiments of Indian values and integrates it with our product deliverables. We believe Parineeti is the most appropriate choice to communicate our brand values. With all these unique features, one can attend to others, without missing the action on TV.”

     

    Videocon d2h CEO Anil Khera added: “With Videocon d2h, now you can pause your TV, record unlimited content, which means you will not have a problem being interrupted anymore. We are happy to have Parineeti as a part of the Videocon d2h family.  In addition to her acting talent, her connect with the Indian masses will definitely help us reach out to our customers. Our main focus is to enhance the customers’ television viewing experience.”

     

    The campaign highlights the solution Videocon d2h will provide its customers with this new product that gives the option of Recording, Pause Live TV, rewind-forward.

     

    “I am very excited and privileged to be part of the Videocon d2h family, India’s fastest growing DTH service. It is a great brand with awesome services like a recording service that they have brought to the Indian consumer at just Re.1 per day and innovations like a RF remote, which you can just plug earphones into and enjoy a private TV viewing experience. What I loved about this campaign is the way in which Indian values are portrayed; it’s quite different and fun. We are all brought up on strong values and so I think it is a nice message to keep Indian values intact. I myself have seen these values disappearing when we are glued to TV. It is a campaign I could really relate to and I think people will as well”, Parineeti Chopra said.

     

    Videocon d2h currently offers 500 Channels and Services which includes 27 Asli “HD” channels & services and a host of regional channels.

  • Tata Sky enters Limca Book of Records

    Tata Sky enters Limca Book of Records

    MUMBAI: Tata Sky, the leading Direct-to-home (DTH) service provider in India has bagged the Limca Book of Records 2014 for airing the longest TV commercial in Indian advertising history – Prison Break, which had a run time of 210 (3min 30 sec) seconds.

     

    In today’s day and age, when airtime is being used sparsely by brands and creative agencies crib about tight time frames to deliver desired message , Tata Sky took a bold step by airing the longest ever TVC, to retain the creative impact and messaging of the story. Through this unique and long advertisement that was run on television, made Tata Sky the first ever DTH brand to enter the Limca Book of Records.

     

    The TVC was conceived by Ogilvy & Mather who worked with Vivek Kakkad, Director – Curious Films to shoot the commercial with an international cast and crew in an actual prison in Hungary.

     

    The TVC was based on the insight that people these days do not find any time to watch television. Tata Sky+ HD, with its recording feature allows busy people to record their favourite programs and watch them at leisure. In other words, it’s ‘For those who don’t have time to watch TV’.

     

    The story revolved around a bunch of foreign convicts imprisoned in an Indian jail. These convicts conspire to escape when they realize that a cricket match is being played between India and Pakistan, assuming that the match would keep the Indian guards and the jailer occupied. But when the jailer and his men intercept their escape, the convicts are fumbled by what kind of Indian doesn’t watch such an epic match. That’s when the clincher kicks in – ‘a hard working Indian’, who with Tata Sky+ HD, can record it & watch it at his own time.

  • Dish TV adds B4U on its platform

    Dish TV adds B4U on its platform

    MUMBAI: Music channel B4U will now be available on Dish TV in all packs that the DTH platform offers.

     

    With this move the music channel aims to strengthen its position in the entertainment world.

     

    The channel’s CFO Sandeep Gupta said, “We are extremely excited to get access on the Dish DTH platform which has more than 11 million active subscriber base. This will facilitate the music loving Indian audience with more choice to entertain themselves. The demand for Indian music across the world has been encouraging us to offer our content through various mediums so that they can entertain themselves with their own choice.”

     

    With a rich film and varied music library, B4U is a strong platform for Bollywood film soundtracks and latest blockbusters to classic old time movie’s which is now contentedly accessible for all the Bollywood music and old classic movie lovers.  

     

    B4U music channel will be available on channel number 668 while B4U movie channel will be available on channel number 207.

  • Videocon d2h launches brand store on eBay India

    Videocon d2h launches brand store on eBay India

    MUMBAI: eBay India has announced the launch of a brand store by direct to home (DTH) operator Videocon d2h. Through this association, eBay India consumers across 4,306 cities, towns and villages in the country will be able to purchase Videocon d2h set top boxes with the added advantage of free installations even in remote areas.

     

    To begin this association, Videocon d2h has announced the online release of region-wise standard, HD and HD DVR offers. Videocon d2h offers special online packages nationally and region-wise for consumers to access their 500 channels and services including 27 ‘Asli HD’ channels for a real-life viewing experience.

     

    eBay India head strategy Ratul Ghosh said, “We are delighted to announce the Videocon d2h brand store on eBay India. This is the first time that the premier DTH provider has launched its online brand store in India. In our constant endeavour to have a wider range of products for our customers, we now have a plethora of brands selling through their official brand stores on our marketplace.”

     

    “eCommerce in India is a mainstream phenomenon today, filling a wide availability gap for consumers in the country’s hinterland. eBay India, with 3,281 Bharat Hubs (tier II & III towns) and 1,015 Rural Hubs, offers an excellent platform for us to reach millions of untapped households in the country. We aim to optimise this large user base as part of our multi-channel strategy to offer consumers an unparalleled television viewing experience,” added Videocon d2h CEO Anil Khera.

     

    eBay India provides an eCommerce ready store, popular deal properties and high internet shopper traffic for brands across categories. With over 1.1 million live listings at any given point, eBay India reaches out to over 2.1 million active consumers across 4,306 cities, towns and villages in India, making it an effective eCommerce platform for merchants of all sizes.

  • Dish TV adds 8.1 lakh subscribers in FY-2014; ARPU up from Rs 158 to Rs 170

    Dish TV adds 8.1 lakh subscribers in FY-2014; ARPU up from Rs 158 to Rs 170

    BENGALURU:  Dish TV Limited (Dish TV) in its earnings release for FY-2014 says that it has added about 8.1 lakh net subscribers in FY-2014 and 2.26 lakh subscribers in Q4-2014 to take its total subscriber base to 1.14 crore net subscribers during the period.

     

    The company also claims that it has increased ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) from Rs 158 during the previous year to Rs 170 in FY-2014. It says that it has managed to contain the subscriber churn to 0.6 per cent per month.

     

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

    (2) Standalone figures in this report 

     

    FY-2014 standalone revenues stood at Rs 2508.98 crore recording 15.79 per cent growth over the Rs 2166.80 crore in FY-2014. Dish TV reported standalone operating revenue of Rs 636.91 crore, recording 14.68 per cent growth over the Rs 555.40 crore in corresponding period last fiscal and 2.10 per cent more than the Rs 623.81 crore in immediate trailing quarter.

     

    Dish TV’s net loss for FY-2014, impacted by a prior period adjustment of Rs 116.4 crore, was Rs (-154.2) crore as compared to a loss of Rs (-66.75) crore in FY-2013. Net loss for Q4-2014, impacted by the above mentioned prior period adjustment of Rs 116.4 crore, increased to Rs (-149.05) crore compared to Rs (- 43.62) crore in Q4-2013 and a loss of Rs (-28.36) crore in Q3-2014, says the company.

     

    Let us look at the other numbers reported by Dish TV for FY-2014 and Q4-2014

     

    Dish TV’s Total Expense (Tot Exp) in FY-2014 at Rs 2482.30 crore (98.94 per cent of Total standalone revenue) was 12.07 per cent more than the Rs 2214.96 crore (102.22 per cent of Total standalone revenue) in FY-2013. Q4-2014 Tot Exp at Rs 657.05 crore (103.16 per cent of Total standalone revenue) was 4 per cent more than the Rs 631.78 crore (101.28 per cent of Total standalone operating income) in Q3-2014 and 13.21 per cent more than the Rs 580.36 crore (104.49 per cent of Total standalone operating income) in Q4-2013.

     

    The company’s finance cost increased 3.37 per cent in FY-2014 to Rs 132.68 crore (5.29 per cent of Total standalone operating income) from Rs 128.36 crore (5.92 per cent of Total standalone operating income) in FY-2013. Dish TV’s Q4-2014 finance cost at Rs 32.63 crore (5.12 per cent of Total standalone operating income) was 8.41 per cent more than the Rs 30.10 crore (4.83 per cent of Total standalone operating income) in Q3-2014 and (-5.01) per cent lower than the Rs 35.85 crore (6.18 per cent of Total standalone operating income) in Q4-2013.

     

    Dish TV’s Programming/content and other cost (Content cost) in FY-2014 at Rs 261.38 crore (10.42 per cent of Total standalone operating income) was 15.81 per cent higher than the Rs 225.70 crore (10.42 per cent of Total standalone operating income). Q4-2014 content cost was 2.29 per cent more at Rs 66.98 crore (10.52 per cent of Total standalone operating income) as compared to the Rs 65.48 crore (10.5 per cent of Total standalone operating income) in the immediate trailing quarter and 15.3 per cent more than the Rs 58.09 crore (10.46 per cent of Total standalone operating income) in the year ago quarter Q4-2013.

     

    The company paid Rs 288.48 crore (11.5 per cent of Total standalone operating income) as licence fees in FY-2014 which was 25.49 per cent more than the Rs 229.89 crore (10.61 per cent of Total standalone operating income) in FY-2013. Dish TV paid Rs 82.38 crore (12.93 per cent of Total standalone operating income) towards licence fees in Q4-2014 which was 10.96 per cent more than the Rs 74.24 crore (11.90 per cent of Total standalone operating income) in Q3-2014 and 34.34 per cent higher than the Rs 61.32 crore (11.04 per cent of Total standalone operating income) in Q4-2013.

     

    Dish TV’s selling and distribution expense is made up of two parts – ‘commission’ and ‘other selling and distribution expense’ (distribution exp).

     

    Commission expense in FY-2014 at Rs 183.67 crore (7.32 per cent of Total standalone operating income) was 17.84 per cent more than the Rs 155.87 crore (7.19 per cent of Total standalone operating income) in FY-2013. Q4-2014 commission expense at Rs 50.65 crores (7.95 per cent of Total standalone operating income) was 0.56 per cent more than the Rs 50.37 crore (8.07 per cent of Total standalone operating income) in Q3-2014 and 31.94 per cent more than the Rs 38.39 crore (6.91 per cent of Total standalone operating income) in Q4-2013.

     

    Distribution Exp in FY-2014 at Rs148.42 crore (5.92 per cent of Total standalone operating income) was 0.44 per cent more than the Rs 147.77 crore (6.82 per cent of Total standalone operating income) in FY-2013. In Q4-2014, Dish TV paid (-5.85) per cent lower towards distribution exp at Rs 32.66 crore (5.13 per cent of Total standalone operating income) as compared to the Rs 34.69 crore (5.56 per cent of Total standalone operating income) in Q3-2014 and (-8.9) per cent lower than the Rs 35.85 crore (6.45 per cent of Total standalone operating income) in Q4-2013.

     

    Dish TV’s take

     

    Dish TV chairman Subhash Chandra said, “The Media industry had its share of opportunities and challenges all through the year. Digitisation kept the industry on its toes. In an uncertain macro environment, Dish TV pursued its strategy of self-funded growth; deleveraging the business while being selective about its subscriber additions notwithstanding the noise around digitisation. The result, a healthier Balance Sheet coupled with the largest subscriber base in the industry and a free cash positive business which is much better equipped to capitalize on the opportunities ahead.”

     

    Dish TV managing director Jawahar Goel added, “Unlike fiscal 2013, fiscal 2014 was a disruptive period where we had to choose between immediate benefits and long term sustainability in the hyper competitive DTH industry. Choosing the later, we continued to deleverage while maintaining our subscriber acquisition price point. With a much manageable and scalable debt profile now, we have started 2014 with a significant positive overhaul to our macro parameters.”

     

    “With a new government at the Centre, the DTH industry is optimistic about rationalisation in the tax regime. As notification of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) is taking time, we look forward to allowance of abatement in Service Tax along with moderation in Entertainment Tax in line with the prevailing structure in Gujarat and other forward looking states. We are also hopeful of an early resolution of the DTH license renewal and payment of license fees matter in the industry’s favour. We also expect a firm push to digitisation and are confident that encryption, packaging, billing and other critical requirements will be implemented at the last mile,” he added.

     

    “Dish TV’s fourth quarter subscriber adds are a result of some serious strategic initiatives taken earlier. The ‘Zing’ sub-brand launched as part of a differentiated strategy to cater to the Phase III & IV markets got a tremendous response and even bolstered the flagship brand’s sales. We exited the fourth quarter bagging the highest incremental market share while keeping a check on our churn, which remained at 0.6 per cent per month. Making further headway on our Sri Lanka Project, we launched test signals as per plan,” said Goel.

  • Sun Direct to add 9 transponders by June

    Sun Direct to add 9 transponders by June

    MUMBAI: Direct to home (DTH) operator Sun Direct is looking at increasing its high definition (HD) and standard definition (SD) channel offering. The DTH operator that currently has four transponders will soon add nine more transponders to its kitty, thanks to the deal signed between Sun Direct and MEASAT Satellite Systems.

    The announcement comes after Sun Direct got a nod from Antrix Corporation for additional capacity. The platform currently has 11 HD and 210 SD channels. “We had applied to Antrix and have got its approval. With this, we will be shifting to MEASAT 3b and hence, will get nine transponders by first week of June. Our HD offering is currently low, but with the extra capacity we aim to take it to 30, while we expect the number of SD channels to go up to 350,” informs Sun Direct MD Mahesh Kumar.

    With this, the total number of transponders will go up to 13. “While we are currently focused on the south market, we can think of targeting other regions after this boost. We will first fill the gaps in our south offering and the HD channel offering,” he adds.

    The increase in the capacity is not the only change the DTH platform is looking at. It was in October 2013 that Sun Direct had announced that it would be launching 500 ‘Sunshine’ centers across south India to improve its customer’s service needs. “Of the 500 ‘Sunshine’ centers, we have already launched 200 centers in eight months,” says Kumar.

    The core aim of these ‘Sunshine’ stores will be to provide customer service, while new connections, demo and recharges will also be available. The stores that have been set up in every district are based on franchisee model. “While the cost for setting up of these stores is being borne by the franchisee, we will be investing for the backend support,” informs Kumar.

    The DTH operator has also introduced a tri-partite conference call service. This 24X7 service hotline number: 076010-12345 which will be manned round the clock will ensure that customer grievances are addressed within 48 hours. “We have started a conference call facility between the company, engineer and the customer. Post the grievance is registered and dealt with, a customer satisfaction survey will also be conducted,” he says.

    Sun Direct is spending approximately Rs 25 crore ($4 million) on the backend support.  According to Kumar, currently the ‘Sunshine’ centre witnesses 50 customers per day per store. The revenue model for the business will depend on the business each store generates.

    The ‘Sunshine’ centers that have been designed by JWT, have a standard format, with store dimensions ranging between 150 and 300 sq ft, depending upon the requirements of the specific town. “The stores have standard colour code which is in line with Sun Direct,” informs Kumar.

    Will we see such centers in other parts of the country as well? Says Kumar, “Currently we are looking at strengthening our service in south, once we get the extra transponders and hence more channels, we can think of other region as well.”

  • Technicolor announces 4K Set Top Box deal with Tata Sky

    Technicolor announces 4K Set Top Box deal with Tata Sky

    Paris (France) May 14, 2014 – Technicolor (Euronext Paris: TCH; OTCQX: TCLRY) announces an agreement with Tata Sky, India’s leading direct to home (DTH) service provider and HD market leader, to provide 4K Set Top Boxes in volume early 2015. The Technicolor product is the first 4K Set Top Box to be shipped in volume and underscores Technicolor’s leadership in delivering content with the highest image quality.

     

    This agreement is the result of a long, strategic relationship with Tata Sky dating back to 2005, and a Technicolor 4K roadmap of solid technical innovation including 4K trials that have gone on around the globe. Technicolor is gearing up to deliver the most immersive 4K experience on the market. Technicolor is building on its compression and color science to deliver an augmented content experience capable of delivering Hollywood-grade picture quality to viewers.

     

    “Technicolor once again leads the market in landing the first high-volume deal to deliver 4K Set Top Boxes to consumers. This deal further solidifies our leadership in the 4K marketplace,” said Michel Rahier, President Connected Home. “With the promise of an unparalleled immersive viewing experience and the predicted rapid growth of the 4K market, this agreement is a valuable strategic business opportunity for Technicolor and our long term partner, Tata Sky.”

     

    “4K is an important milestone in Tata Sky’s product portfolio and we are confident of the timing and quality of delivery because of our partnership with Technicolor” said Harit Nagpal, CEO Tata-Sky.

  • Tata Sky pays license fees of Rs 383 crore, Dish TV prefers to wait for court orders

    Tata Sky pays license fees of Rs 383 crore, Dish TV prefers to wait for court orders

    NEW DELHI: The direct-to-home (DTH) operator Tata Sky today made a payment of Rs 383 crore to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry (I&B) to cover its license fee and other dues.

     
    A demand draft of the amount was submitted to the Ministry, even as a petition to this regard is pending in the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) in this regard.

     
    This amount covers license fee for the year 2013-14 according to the rate specified for license as well as past dues, for which the Ministry had raised a demand note recently.

     
    TataSky MD and CEO Harit Nagpal said in a statement: “We hope that this will end the long standing dispute on the subject and pave the way forward for a constructive rationalisation of taxes with the support of our parent Ministry.”

     
    However, Dish TV CEO R C Venkateish told indiantelevision that the TDSAT in its hearing on 4 April had taken an assurance from the government that it would not pressurise the DTH operators in this regard until the next date of hearing on 6 May.

     
    He said that the government had been asked by TDSAT to respond to the petitions by the operators by the next date of hearing.

     
    Although TDSAT is expected to give time to the operators to file their respective rejoinders to the government’s reply, DTH industry sources said the Tribunal may give a directive with regard to the payment.

  • Airtel DTH services y-o-y growth 23%, EBIDTA up 226%, ARPU up 10% in Q4-2014

    Airtel DTH services y-o-y growth 23%, EBIDTA up 226%, ARPU up 10% in Q4-2014

    BENGALURU: Indian and international mobile services giant Bharati Airtel Limited’s DTH (Airtel DTH) services business total revenue has grown 23 per cent to Rs 541.5 crore in Q4-2014 as compared to the Rs 441.9 crore in the year ago quarter (Q4-2013).  During FY-2014, total revenue at Rs 2077.1 crore was 27 per cent more than the Rs 1629.4 crore in FY-2013.

     

    Airtel DTH has reported higher EBIDTA at Rs 96.3 crore in Q4-2014, 226 per cent more than the Rs 29.6 crore in Q4-2013. During the current financial year, EBIDTA was even higher (by 638 per cent) at Rs 333.8 crore as compared to the Rs 45.2 crore in FY-2013.

     

    Airtel DTH’s operating margin (EBIT) loss reduced by 38 per cent to Rs (-111.1) crore in Q4-2014 from Rs (-178.4) crore in Q4-2013. Over the year EBIT reduced by 41 per cent to Rs (-482.1) crore in FY-2014 from Rs (-810.5) crore in FY-2013.

     

    Capex at Rs 177.9 crore went up 34 per cent in Q4-2014 from Rs 132.6 crore y-o-y. However the company’s capex in FY-2014 was (-18) per cent lower at Rs 617 crore as compared to the Rs 754.8 crore in FY-2013.

     

    The company’s DTH business’s cumulative investments in Q4-2014 and FY-2014 went up 15 per cent to Rs 4646.8 crore from Rs 4036.6 crore in Q4-2013 and FY-2013.

     

    Airtel DTH q-o-q customer base went up 2 per cent in Q4-2014 to 90.12 lakhs from 88.07 lakhs, with net additions of 2.05 lakhs new subscribers during Q4-2014. This is (-13) per cent lower than the 235000 net additions the company had declared during Q4-2013. Y-o-y the customer base was 11 per cent more than the 81 lakhs subscribers in Q4-2014, but net new subscriptions during Q4-2014 was less by (-1) per cent than the 207000 net new subscriptions in Q4-2013.

     

    Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) in Q4-2014 has gone down (-2) per cent to Rs 203 in Q4-2014 as compared to the Rs 207 in the immediate trailing quarter, but was 10 per cent more than the Rs 184 in the year ago quarter (Q4-2013).

     

    Airtel DTH’s monthly churn was also higher at 0.9 per cent in Q4-2014 as compared to the 0.8 per cent in Q3-2014, but was lower than the 1.1 per cent in Q4-2013.

     

    It became the first DTH player in the country to showcase a feature film on the same day of its theatrical release with the showcase of Telugu movie ‘Minukumanna Minugurulu’ on its Pay Per View (PPV) platform.

     

    In line with company’s initiatives to associate with events, shows and initiatives that resonate well with the preferences of today’s India, Bharati Airtel co-sponsored the popular TV show ‘Satyamev Jayate’ again this year. The brand integration with the show included innovations like in-show calls on Airtel 3G and use of Airtel money for donations along with access to exclusive show content to customers.

     

    In an effort to provide a world-class experience to the customers, the company launched Airtel ‘Pocket TV’ – a mobile app which will enable customers to watch their favourite TV programs on the move while also being the first player to release a feature film on digital TV platform.

  • Dish TV adds ‘Zing’ to Tripura market

    Dish TV adds ‘Zing’ to Tripura market

    KOLKATA: A month after launching its sub-brand ‘Zing’ in West Bengal and Orissa, direct-to-home (DTH) TV services provider, Dish TV, has introduced it in Tripura. The move is in keeping with Dish TV’s plans to expand its footprint in the eastern region of the country.

     

    “Zing digital TV has been launched in Tripura with 27 Bengali channels including Khobor 365 Din, the only satellite channel of Tripura,” said a Dish TV official, pointing out that at the time of its launch, Zing offered only 26 channels. More than 80 per cent of the population in Tripura speaks Bengali, he added.

     

    The official further said that Zing was a part of Dish TV’s strategy to search for newer ways to reach out to viewers through relatable content. “Besides content, all above-the-line (ATL) and below-the-line (BTL) advertising, packaging and other marketing activities will be available in Bangla in Tripura as it is mainly a Bengali-speaking market,” he added.

     

    Apparently, Dish TV has earmarked an investment of Rs 7 crore for the 360-degree marketing campaign.

     

    Meanwhile, users can buy Zing from any Dish TV retailer for Rs 1,099, with packages available for Rs 175, Rs 249 and Rs 349.

     

    Going forward, Dish TV is likely to look at Gujarat and Maharashtra for expansion of its Zing sub-brand, as was reported by this website last month.