ITV

Category: DTH Services

  • Prasar Bharati sells 11 MPEG-4 slots on DD Free Dish

    Mumbai : During the recently concluded 5th Annual e-auction of MPEG-4 slots, Prasar Bharati sold 11 slots. The DD Free Dish slots have been sold for a year, from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024.

    Aastha Bhajan, Aastha Tamil, Bansal News, Chardikla Time TV, MH ONE DIL SE, News 18 UP/UK, News State UP/UK, RT, Sudarshan News, Swadesh News, and Vedic are the 11 channels that have won the slots.

    The auction took place on 16 February 2023. All genre channels were invited to bid, with a reserve price of Rs 50 lakh per year.

    During the 4th annual/57th e-auction last year, Prasar Bharati earned Rs 15.24 crore from the sale of 12 MPEG-4 slots on DD Free Dish.

  • Rampant cord cutting on cable continues: Chrome Data Study

    Rampant cord cutting on cable continues: Chrome Data Study

    Mumbai: The new findings from Chrome Data Analytics and Media’s July Subscriber Establishment Survey (SES) reported a significant drop in cable and satellite (C&S) homes, where the subscriber base has dropped from 201.2 million to 165.1 million households since 2019.

    This is based on a pan India ground survey that was done between January and July 2022; the sample included one out of every 175 households and included over 219 million TV households across the nation.

    Chrome DM surveys regularly, and it plays an important role in shaping our understanding of the changing TV landscape.

    Speaking on these findings, Chrome DM CEO and founder Pankaj Krishna said, “The reason for the decline is that the medium is changing. In television, in terms of content, it will keep booming, but the modes of consumption are changing so it is affecting Cable and Satellite (C&S) homes.”

    He further added, “This is the great race to entertainment, and OTT looks to be the reigning champion. I believe this trend will continue till ‘streaming’ is cemented as the new alternative in this turn of transition.”

    Pankaj believes with 5G coming in, we will witness a lot of disruption as well on how people consume content. “So the reason for the decline in cable and satellite homes is that the homes are wired through a cable and satellite connection but the overall consumption is increasing through the broadband internet (Connected TV) consumption. TV shows are increasing as well,” he added.

    Pay DTH and digital cable

    According to the Chrome Data Analytics and Media July report, pay DTH has a market share of nearly 38 per cent and digital cable is close to over 37 per cent.

    Digital cable experienced a significant decline of 18.5 per cent, whilst Pay DTH experienced a more restrained decline of 5.1 percent in the same findings. Pay DTH continues to have a significant presence in southern markets, where Andhra Pradesh reigned supreme with considerable share growth of 11.9 per cent.

     In terms of its total subscriber base, Tamizhaga Cable TV Communication (TCCL) was the leading gainer by a sizable margin of 33.2 per cent.

    Covid Impact

    The report stated that it would be an understatement to say that Covid-19 disturbed the market economy. The pandemic ushered in a new period of hesitation and unpredictability when any fleeting sense of assurance was purchased on the cheap.

    The markets fell, and the major players warned that the economy was on the verge of a devastating downturn.

    According to the report, the commercial sector was completely destroyed by the Covid-19 outbreak, and the cable and satellite industries were just one of the numerous victims.
     
    Before the first economic downturn, the profits appeared to be guaranteed, but after Covid, it served as a foreshadowing of what was to come. The numbers foretold the end of this once-dominant sector.

    The pandemic caused changes in social and cultural dynamics, which quickly followed as the economy began to slow down in the backdrop. The lockdowns forced a lot of migratory workers to return to their small rural villages, which caused a huge flood of subscribers to leave urban marketplaces, the report mentioned.

    The report found that to combat rising inflation and the economic slump, many people unsubscribed to curtail domestic expenditure, which includes keeping a TV set and paying for cable subscriptions.

    Freedish

    Freedish was the only one to experience a positive increase of 5.4 per cent while continuing to ascend north in rural areas.

    The other transmissions were impacted by the pandemic’s dwindling market share, but Freedish managed to hold onto its lead while the others did not.

    Again, this was largely the result of it being provided for free and having a substantial market share in rural India, which was untouched by the migrant issue. Odisha continued to be a top gainer, with its rural market growing by only about 16.8 per cent throughout this time.

    OTT impact

    Similar to this, urban residents were losing interest in cable TV and rapidly shifting their viewing preferences online. Many people have joined the growing number of cord-cutters and are now satisfying their watching needs online. Thus, the cord-cutting epidemic has ushered in a streaming-era digital revolution.

    The report stated that cable and satellite subscriptions have consistently decreased as viewers’ interest in traditional linear TV has declined, but a further rise in streaming usage is increasing.

    According to the survey, many cord-cutters still find this to be an appealing alternative because they don’t want to pay extra for the cable or digital subscriptions that are usually included with standard TV equipment.

  • Dish TV India’s consolidated net profit declines 64.47% in Q1 FY23

    Dish TV India’s consolidated net profit declines 64.47% in Q1 FY23

    Mumbai: Dish TV India on Wednesday announced their financial results for the first quarter of the financial year 2022–2023. The company’s reported net profit declined 64.47 per cent to Rs 17.85 crore in the quarter ended June 2022 as against Rs 50.24 crore during the previous quarter ended June 2021.

    Operating revenues for the quarter stood at Rs 608.6 crore. For the same period, the earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (Ebitda) was Rs 323.8 crore with a margin of 53.2 percent and profit after tax was Rs 17.8 crore.

    In the quarter ended June 2022, sales fell 16.74 per cent to Rs 608.63 crore, compared to Rs 730.97 crore in the previous quarter ended June 2021.

    The company paid-off Rs 90.3 crore of debt during the quarter, thus reducing its overall debt to Rs 285.3 crore at the end of the first quarter of 2023 as compared to Rs 375.6 crore at the close of fiscal 2022.

    The first quarter of the current fiscal, to some extent, was an extension of the fourth quarter of the previous fiscal. Not only did inflation-linked cautiousness in viewers remain intact, the changing landscape of the entertainment industry continued to influence subscriber retention and growth.

    Dish TV chose the middle path and maintained a moderate pace of capital expenditure while prioritising debt repayment over new acquisitions.

    External factors dominated and impacted the recharge behaviour of DTH subscribers, with top-end consumers swapping between DTH and streaming content and bottom-end subscribers alternating between free-to-air and pay DTH, thus affecting revenues and net base.

    With a growing number of subscribers having access to OTT subscriptions, India’s streaming video market is expected to garner a revenue of Rs. 490 billion by 2027, up from Rs. 210 billion in 2022, according to the latest industry report.

    Speaking about the results, Dish TV India Group CEO Anil Dua said, “In the changing industry landscape, Dish TV is committed to exploring and embracing new possibilities that would enable it to offer a more contemporary and bespoke service bouquet. As an entertainment distribution company, we would want to be a one-stop destination for viewers seeking video content and continue working towards that objective.”

    Dish TV India chairman Jawahar Goel commented, “The company has been actively pursuing relevant technological developments in the business space and looks forward to aligning with those that will help it achieve its strategic and commercial goals.”

    “As an industry, we also continue to seek and hope for a level playing field in the distribution space, by way of uniform application of licence fees to either all players or to none of them, as Free DTH, Headend in the Sky (HITS), OTT and cable TV still remain outside the ambit of licence fees,” added Goel.

  • Tata Play announces entry into home security solutions

    Tata Play announces entry into home security solutions

    Mumbai: Tata Play on Thursday announced its entry into home security solutions with the launch of two products Tata Play Secure and Tata Play Secure+.

    Tata Play is collaborating with Google to bring to India the Google Nest security camera for its subscribers via Tata Play Secure+. Tata Play Secure+ is a bundled service that includes battery-powered Google Nest Cam, an annual Nest Aware subscription and a Google Nest Mini.

    In the first phase of its launch, the offering will be available for Tata Play subscribers in 10+ cities including Mumbai + Navi Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Delhi + NCR, Lucknow, and Jaipur.

    “With the launch of Tata Play Secure and Tata Play Secure+, we aim to help our subscribers build a safe and secure ecosystem, be it home or workplace,” said Tata Play chief commercial and content officer Pallavi Puri. “This new offering is in line with our endeavour to provide experiences beyond entertainment. We are happy to partner with Google for the Tata Play Secure+ offering to bring to India a truly state-of-the-art home security experience.”

    “We are thrilled to collaborate with Tata Play to bring to India our new-generation Nest Cam and Nest Aware service,” said Google head of hardware business development India and South Asia. “These deliver a great experience thanks to our deep innovations in on-device machine learning, an intuitive user experience, and the highest level of privacy and security that gives people complete control over the information they share. With features like the ability to detect people, animals, and vehicles, the ability to be used indoor and outdoor, HDR, two-way communication and more, we can’t wait for people to experience enhanced smart security.”

  • Dish TV India reports operating revenue of Rs 2802.5 crore for FY22

    Dish TV India reports operating revenue of Rs 2802.5 crore for FY22

    Mumbai: Dish TV India has reported its results for the fourth quarter and the financial year ended on 31 March 2022. The company reported operating revenue of Rs 2,802.5 crore for the financial year and Rs 642.7 crore for the fourth quarter.

    Subscription revenues stood at Rs 2,531.1 crore for the year and Rs 574.8 crore for the quarter. Profit before exceptional items and tax stood at Rs 272.7 crore for the year and Rs 41.8 crore for the quarter.

    The exceptional items for the quarter and fiscal year 2021-2022 include Rs 203.0 crore as an impairment charge on intangible assets under development and related advances Rs 1,616.9 crore and Rs 717.7 crore respectively, as an impairment charge on the goodwill and intangible assets acquired from Videocon d2h in 2017-18 and Rs 116.3 crore recognised as foreign exchange fluctuation loss due to the ongoing economic crisis in Sri Lanka.

    The company continued to deleverage its balance sheet for the fourth year in a row and paid off Rs 434.3 crore during the year thus reducing its overall debt to Rs 375.6 crore at the end of fiscal 2022 as compared to fiscal 2021, which was at Rs 809.9 crore.

    The company reported a loss after including exceptional items and tax of Rs 1,867.23 crore for the year and Rs 2,031.99 crore for the quarter.

    Management analysis

    As per the management analysis, the fourth quarter and fiscal 2022 saw the expansion of the viewers’ slate of content. The company offers over 850 plus channels in the linear space and 40 odd big & small OTT platforms offering movies, TV shows and web series. The time spent watching content per user per day went up to 4.5 hours compared to 3.6 hours in 2018.

    Businesses across sectors in distribution or content are facing reducing customer stickiness, falling subscriber numbers and a perpetual capex (capital expenditure) cycle.

    The direct-to-home (DTH) industry in India has been running the capital expenditure treadmill to increase the number of paying subscribers but, competition from streaming platforms, free-to-air government-run distribution platforms, telcos, cable TV and intermittent undercutting within the industry itself, has been either churning subscribers or intensifying capex or both, said the statement.

    Dish TV India recorded 3.4 per cent higher new additions during the year but remained vulnerable to shifting viewing habits which continued to influence the recharge behaviour of its subscribers. The quarter also witnessed lingering effects of the pandemic related weakness in consumer sentiment with global geo-political developments and resultant inflationary spikes worsening buyer confidence. High churn resulted in a net reduction in the subscriber base during the quarter.

    Dish TV India group CEO and executive director Anil Dua said, “Pay-TV consumer sentiment has been oscillating between indulging in content to sometimes being frugal with it. Consumers have been choosier than ever, often moving between linear and streaming content, as a result renewing their subscriptions less regularly. Dish TV values customers’ changing tastes and preferences and is working towards adapting to and leveraging these emerging trends.”

    Dish TV India’s OTT platform Watcho crossed the 50 million downloads mark at the end of the quarter increasing its presence by 25 million during the year.

    “These are challenging yet exciting times and we are reviewing everything that has existed for years. We are actively looking beyond our contemporary offerings of hybrid boxes and OTT platform Watcho, and are working towards new ways to serve our valued subscribers, both existing as well as new,” he added.

    Dish TV India chairman and managing director Jawaher Goel said, “Competition is always good for the growth of any industry, what is important though is that there should be a level playing field. Pay channel procurement which is subject to strict regulations for the pay-TV sector is under forbearance when it comes to broadcaster owned channels being streamed on their own OTT platforms. This is despite cross-holding restrictions that prevent broadcasters from getting into distribution. Moreover, within pay-TV, DTH is the only business which is subject to a license fee payable to the government. As we work towards keeping up with the times, we also hope that a common licensing regime and forbearance over excessive regulation will be the norm going forward.”

  • MIB to distribute 1.5 lakh Free Dish in remote areas of J&K

    MIB to distribute 1.5 lakh Free Dish in remote areas of J&K

    Mumbai: The government will distribute 1.5 lakh free dish in far-flung areas of Jammu and Kashmir, the ministry of information and broadcasting secretary Apurva Chandra said on Tuesday during a visit to Kangan Sub Division of J&K to assess the outreach of DD Free Dish in the area.

    The free dish services are proposed in the areas where cable services are unavailable, the government said. The government said that the tendering is under process and will be completed soon.

    The union secretary was accompanied by All India Radio principal director general (news) N. V. Reddy; Doordarshan director general Mayank Agarwal; Press Information Bureau Srinagar additional director general Rajinder Chaudhry, News DDK Srinagar deputy director Qazi Salman and the officers of the district administration.

    Chandra highlighted the importance of providing free-of-cost services to the masses. He said that the service is being distributed in remote areas of Kashmir and its ambit will be increased in the times to come. 

    Chandra also commended Doordarshan Kendra Srinagar for “aptly representing the local culture and traditions through its programmes reaching the people with authentic information.”

    The I&B Secretary also interacted with locals using DD Free Dish at Margund Kangan who shared their feedback about the programmes available on various channels, especially DD Kashir.

    “The scheme will help in keeping the people updated about different developmental initiatives and also inform them about the local as well as national events of importance,” stated a local Abdul Rashid Sheikh.

    DD Free Dish is owned and operated by public service broadcaster Prasar Bharati. It was launched in December 2003 and reaches 43 million households across the country.

  • Our OTT business is poised for strong growth with this rebranding: Tata Play CCO Anurag Kumar

    Our OTT business is poised for strong growth with this rebranding: Tata Play CCO Anurag Kumar

    Mumbai: The advent and popularity of OTT platforms forced almost all major traditional content distributions platforms to reinvent themselves in the last couple of years. But category leader Tata Sky’s decision to go for a complete identity overhaul, rebranding itself as Tata Play, was a big move signalling a formal start to the overall industry transformation.

    After a 15 year successful run, Tata Sky recently announced a new name and identity ‘Tata Play’ to reflect the company’s expanded business interests beyond direct-to-home services. These include its 100 per cent fiber network that has been renamed as Tata Play Fiber, and the aggregator app Tata Play Binge, which offers content from 12 leading OTT platforms. Tata Play has also onboarded Netflix on the Binge service.

    “Tata Sky leveraged its market leadership in its core business to create an ecosystem of content delivery by foraying into OTT and broadband. We believe it is time for a brand identity that resonates beyond our DTH business. The name Tata Play signifies our expanded range of products and services. The new identity is an outcome of our desire to be future-ready,” Tata Play MD and CEO Harit Nagpal said at the time of the announcement.

    Commenting further on the need as well as the timing of the rebranding, Tata Play’s chief communication officer Anurag Kumar added, “Over the last four-five years, we have seen our customers’ content consumption patterns evolving in a manner where they are consuming a lot more OTT content, in addition to watching TV. We wanted to make use of this opportunity to inform people that we offer a wide variety of quality content from across platforms, whether OTT or linear TV. This rebranding was to position ourselves as a holistic content distribution platform in their minds.”

    The rebranding of Tata Sky to Tata Play was conceptualised by the London-based global branding agency venturethree. Talking about the brief given to them Kumar noted, “We wanted the new identity to be more youthful, fun, and distinctive while retaining the trust and quality credentials built by the company over the years. The fresh purple-pink colour scheme not only stands out in the category but also resonates with the new ethos.”

    The word ‘Play’ was chosen to replace ‘Sky’ in the name because it is easily understood by everyone across the country and also conveys the category to an extent.

    The Advertising Blitz

    The rebranding was unveiled alongside the introduction of new offerings and benefits for customers. And to communicate all of this Tata Play collaborated with Ogilvy India to launch a cross-media campaign with Kareena Kapoor Khan and Saif Ali Khan as the face for the national markets, and R Madhavan and Priyamani for the south.  

    Ogilvy was tasked with conveying the new identity, features and benefits in a way that entertains the audience. This was achieved through crisp ad films that portray the celebrities as ordinary people bringing out the message through relatable, light-hearted situations.

    “If we are a platform that allows people to connect with entertainment, our ads/communication should also be entertaining,” emphasised Kumar.

    Within three days of its launch on 26 January, the high-decibel, TV-heavy campaign has made Tata Group the third biggest advertiser of the past week, second only to FMCG giants HUL and RB. The group registered a direct entry in the top ten advertisers list at No. three with ad volumes of 1188.69, according to Barc data for week 4 (22 January 2022 to 28th January 2022). Tata Play was the most advertised brand with ad volumes of 672.02.

    The campaign will run on TV for roughly eight weeks until March-end. It will be accompanied by the digital leg comprising social media (particularly Instagram), YouTube, digital advertising, and influencer activity. In the second phase, the campaign will include more print and outdoor.

    What’s New

    Kumar informs that in addition to onboarding Netflix as an add-on, Tata Play has combined its linear TV and the Tata Play Binge products into a single offering that can be managed as one subscription. The company’s OTT app Tata Play Binge, today, has 12 partner apps, all accessible through its single user interface.

    Additionally, Tata Play has waived off the service charge of Rs. 175 for all technician visits. It is also leveraging the campaign to communicate its existing benefit of ‘no reconnection charges’ for customers who want to reactivate their Tata Play subscription.

    Future-Ready

    Tata Play ‘Binge’ was introduced on Fire TV Stick in 2019. It was extended in 2021 with the launch of the OTT aggregator app, ‘Binge Mobile App’. Commenting on the progress, Kumar shared, “We have more than half a million customers on Tata Play Binge which is a fairly good number. The business is poised for strong growth with this rebranding.”

    Currently available only to Tata Play subscribers, the company is considering opening it up for a larger universe of audiences.

    Tata Play Fiber, on the other hand, is a relatively niche service available only in select cities and localities. “Our fiber business is targeted at customers at the top-end of the market who want very-high quality internet with great speed and minimal downtime. It was intended as a profitable business with selective play. We don’t aim to go ‘mass’ with it,” explained Kumar.

  • Tata Sky launches new service Tata Sky Romance

    Tata Sky launches new service Tata Sky Romance

    Mumbai: Tata Sky has announced the launch of its latest platform service Tata Sky Romance to offer curated romantic content across Hollywood (dubbed in Hindi), Bollywood, and television to its subscribers. Priced at Rs two per day, the service is completely ad-free and is available for on-the-go viewing on Tata Sky mobile app.

    The DTH player has roped in Shaheer Sheikh and Sana Makbulhave to promote the new offering with a quirky campaign.

    Tata Sky Romance has a lineup of Hollywood blockbusters  “Bold & Beautiful,” “Cedar Cove,” “Ashk,” “Notting Hill,” “No Strings Attached,” “I Could Never Be Your Woman,” “Death Defying Acts,” “Heartbreakers,” “The Good Girl,” and popular Bollywood titles like “Jab We Met” amongst others.

    Going ahead, shows such as “A Place To Call Home” and “Juda Na Hona” will also be added to the service along with more film titles, said the DTH brand in a statement.

    “Romance is one of the most popular genres in India when it comes to entertainment. We believe Tata Sky Romance is a good destination for audiences preferring to watch content from a different country but in their own language,” said Tata Sky chief commercial and content officer Pallavi Puri. “The service provides the choicest selection of romantic titles across Hollywood and Bollywood on TV screen in Hindi, ad-free, making it a perfect gateway to unwind, this festive season.”

    “We at JOP Network are elated to associate with Tata Sky to bring to the audiences a special curation of romantic movies, shows and more from Hollywood and Bollywood that are sure to entertain the romantic chords of every viewer. These titles have been specially curated keeping in mind consumer likings, popularity and ratings of the shows and movies over the years. This first-of-its-kind service is sure to rekindle the heart,” added JOP Network director Urvi Agarwal.

  • SC orders stay on criminal proceedings against Yes Bank

    SC orders stay on criminal proceedings against Yes Bank

    Mumbai: The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered a stay on the criminal proceedings against Yes Bank initiated by Essel group founder Subhash Chandra. The court has granted three weeks to file the counter affidavit.

    Furthermore, Dish TV India has informed its shareholders on the postponement of its 33rd annual general meeting that was scheduled for 30 November. The company has received approval for an extension for time for holding the AGM by the Registrar of Companies. While Dish TV India has not announced the next date for the AGM, the period cannot exceed more than one month from the current scheduled date of the AGM.

    On 6 November, Dish TV India had disclosed that it received a notice from the crime branch in Gautam Buddh Nagar restricting Yes Bank from dealing in/and or exercising any rights over equity shares of Dish TV India held by Yes Bank until completion of an investigation being conducted by them. There were no details of the nature of the investigation disclosed. Yes Bank moved to the Allahabad high court to quash the case which later escalated to the Supreme Court.

    Earlier, Yes Bank, which has a 25.63 per cent shareholding in Dish TV India, had sought the removal of directors of the company including managing director Jawaher Lal Goel and independent directors Dr. Rashmi Aggarwal, Bhagwan Das Narang, Shankar Agarwal, and Ashok Mathai Kurien by calling for an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) of shareholders.

    The bank proposed the appointment of a new board including Akash Suri, Sanjay Nambiar, Vijay Bhatt, Haripriya Padmanabhan, Girish Paranjape, Narayan Vasudeo Prabhutendulkar, and Arvind Nachaya Mapangada.

    Dish TV India board rejected the EGM notice by Yes Bank stating that a resolution to reconstitute the board can only be placed post receipt of approval from the ministry of information and broadcasting and other requisite approvals for appointment of new directors, within statutory guidelines.

    Yes Bank had moved to National Company Law Tribunal, Mumbai with a petition to call for an EGM of shareholders of Dish TV India and pass its resolution.

  • There needs to be a level playing field: Tata Sky CEO Harit Nagpal on Free Dish issue

    There needs to be a level playing field: Tata Sky CEO Harit Nagpal on Free Dish issue

    Mumbai: Harit Nagpal, the MD and CEO of India’s largest Pay TV distributor – Tata Sky is known to be a vocal man. Time and again, he has used several platforms and occasions to bring the industry’s concerns to the notice of the government and regulators. Outlining these issues once again at the APOS India Summit – the two day virtual-event that concluded recently, Nagpal stressed upon the need to iron out disparities in regulation that exist in the current ecosystem.

    With the rapid emergence of multiple distribution formats and technologies in the past few years, he strongly believes that the “time has come for everyone to step back and take a look at the regulatory inconsistencies and biases prevailing across platforms.”

    Between the three main distribution technologies of DTH, Cable and OTT, “while both DTH and cable are licensed, regulated and censored (self), DTH pays a license fee while Cable doesn’t. OTTs, on the other hand, are neither licensed, nor regulated or censored, and they don’t even pay a license fee. Just because they came in at different points in time, different rules are applied to each one of them,” said Nagpal.

    In September, Tata Sky and Airtel Digital TV had written to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) asking the telecom regulator to address the issue of broadcasters making their pay channels available for free on DD Free Dish.

    Also Read: https://www.indiantelevision.com/dth/dth-operator/dth-operators-write-to-trai-over-broadcasters-offering-pay-channels-on-dd-free-dish-210909

    At the summit, Nagpal reiterated that while he appreciates Free Dish as a great channel of customer acquisition, there has to be a level playing field.  “There are roughly 100 million homes in India that don’t have a TV. They will not invest in a TV set and subscription simultaneously. Hence, at any given point in time there is a large pool that owns a TV but is not paying for subscription services. A subset of this population moves into the Pay TV universe every year, opening up a huge customer acquisition opportunity for us,” he explained, adding that “the problem begins when Free Dish starts serving them at no cost, the same content that we offer for a price.”

    According to Nagpal, this is an unfair practice on the part of certain broadcasters. It goes against the current tariff regime which mandates designating of channels as either pay or FTA. “This designation should be consistent across platforms,” he insisted. “A customer in rural areas does not understand regulations, and he starts distrusting us.”

    Commenting on the overall growth this year, Nagpal said, “We are north of 17 million homes; much in the same range as what we lost to FTA and economic losses faced by rural India. We have managed to keep our heads above water.”

    Despite the many challenges, he believes that pay TV delivered via cable or satellite cannot be written off in India so quickly. “OTT requires high quality broadband getting into homes, in which case the customer has to pay for both content as well as the pipe. In the case of cable and satellite they pay for the content only. So, when we talk of the masses, Pay TV is here to stay. Out of the 100 million homes without a TV some will keep getting them every year, and those numbers are far larger than the growth of paid OTT. Pay TV and FTA will also coexist and grow.”

    Even though DTH may not be facing an existential threat from either Free Dish/FTA or OTTs, its content that has historically been ‘mass’, will have to evolve, asserted Nagpal. “The masses also want innovation which is why there are nine million HD homes today, and many with HD are now looking for something new. Innovation has, therefore, constantly been on our radar. With regard to content as well, there is a very large number of discerning viewers among those who do not have access to the pipe. They are not happy with the ‘saas-bahu’ or the content of the past. There is a niche which is likely to grow, for which content needs to be invested in by broadcasters.”

    In fact, trends show that customers are not going off Pay TV even when they can afford or avail streaming services. Sharing his observations, the Tata Sky Nagpal stated, “The premium end of our user base did not switch off their Pay TV regardless of having access to VOD services. Binge Plus was an attempt to cater to this set of audiences. Whether a consumer wants to watch OTT or Linear on phone, tablet or the TV set, my job is simply to make it convenient for them.”

    In this space again, he welcomes the advent of aggregators like Prime Channels and Google TV to grow the market and industry together.

    Concluding the discussion with his thoughts on Tata Sky and the overall broadband market, Nagpal shared, “Broadband was never intended for the mass market because we didn’t have a network of fibre in the ground across the country. Our intention is only to reach our premium customers, and hence, it will remain a niche, very high-quality broadband play for us.”

    As for satellite, he averred, “In my understanding broadband is not reaching rural areas not because it is difficult to lay a wire to that place, but the fact that it will be difficult to find enough people in a village who can pay Rs 800 per month, month-on-month. Unless it can be delivered at the rate of Rs 200-300 per month, the economics of which is unviable, it looks unlikely. But we may be surprised in the future.”