ITV

Category: DTH Services

  • Pay-TV revenue to grow at 7 per cent CAGR over 2020-25: MPA report

    Pay-TV revenue to grow at 7 per cent CAGR over 2020-25: MPA report

    New Delhi: India is among a handful of countries where there is great scope for further penetration of television. Since the turn of the millennium, pay-TV connections have more than doubled in Indian households, though data in the public domain indicates there still remain an additional 100 million homes to penetrate.

    Now, a new report published by Media Partners Asia (MPA) forecasts India’s pay-TV industry will grow at roughly seven per cent CAGR between 2020-25. The growth will be accompanied by a significant uptick in the total industry revenues, including subscription and advertising which will reach $12.3 billion by 2025, said the industry analysts.

    The report, entitled India Pay-TV Distribution 2021 released on Monday, predicts that more than 96 per cent of India’s pay-TV homes will be digitalised by 2025.  The total pay-TV subscribers will further expand from 127 million in 2020 to 134 million during the period.

    Distribution dynamics

    The MPA has pegged India’s active DTH homes to grow from 58 million in 2020 to more than 68 million in 2025. Meanwhile, cable’s share of pay-TV subscribers will decline from 54 per cent in 2020 to 46 per cent by 2025; IPTV will pick up a small share after rolling out later in 2021.

    MPA India vice president Mihir Shah said, “Robust backend systems, the ability to offer consumers flexibility in choosing channel packages under NTO and the exit of leading private channels from DD Free Dish helped the DTH pay-TV sector grow even after the new TRAI tariff regulations came into effect.”

    Going forward, DTH will be the key driver of growth fulfilling the needs of the majority of new TV households entering into the pay-TV ecosystem. “Premium cable subscribers in urban centers remain vulnerable to churn as uptake of quality fiber-based broadband services including IPTV grows in affluent pockets of urban India,” he added.

    Monetisation, investment and the outlook for broadcasters

    The total pay-TV industry revenue, including subscription and advertising, had declined 10 per cent year-on-year in 2020 to $8.9 billion as the economic downturn post-Covid eroded advertising. The projections show that the recommencing of fresh content and live sports together with improvements in consumer and economic sentiment will lead to a sharp recovery in 2021. Pay-TV advertising will grow at 12 per cent CAGR over 2020-25 after a 25 per cent contraction last year.

    During 2020, pay-TV broadcasters generated $4.4 billion in total revenue (62 per cent from advertising and 38 per cent from subscription), down 17 per cent year-on-year. A sharp recovery is expected over the next two fiscals with the channel business and advertising primarily driving this expansion.

    According to Shah, TRAI’s heavy spate of regulations in recent years depressed investment in pay-TV content, which could have a detrimental impact on the quality of content available for the mass market.

    “We expect that more consolidation will play out in the broadcasting industry as recent tariff amendments force incumbent broadcast networks to recalibrate existing channel portfolios. The economics of less popular channels and several niche channels are no longer viable. A new and less draconian regulatory framework will help revitalise content creation in the pay-TV industry while also helping to bolster pricing power for pay-TV platforms,” he stated.

  • New DTH guidelines will make the sector competitive: Javadekar

    New DTH guidelines will make the sector competitive: Javadekar

    KOLKATA: At the end of last year, the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) announced revised guidelines for direct-to-home (DTH) operators in India. The new DTH policy will make the sector competitive and will have a positive impact on consumers, I&B minister Prakash Javadekar informed the Rajya Sabha on Monday.

    The minister mentioned that the guidelines with enhanced period of license with provisions of renewal beyond the initial licence period will ensure continuity and a rationalised licence fee regime. Moreover, the rules will have a positive impact on qualitative and competitive services being extended to the consumers in the long term.

    “The changes will facilitate ease of doing business, offer employment opportunities, make the sector competitive with likelihood of new players coming forward to provide DTH services and also provide a rationalised licensing fee regime and enhanced period of licence,” he detailed.

    After resolving the long standing impasse on the DTH licence policy, the government announced DTH licences will now be issued for a period of 20 years. Under the new rules, licence fee will be collected quarterly instead of annually.

    Changes had been approved for 100 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) in the DTH sector which was earlier limited to 49 per cent. The decision had already been taken by the ministry of commerce and industry but the sector could not avail the benefits due to past MIB guidelines.

    The cabinet also approved the sharing of infrastructure between DTH operators. Distributors of TV channels will be permitted to share common hardware for their subscriber management system (SMS) and conditional access system (CAS) applications. Javadekar said at the time of announcement that the decision had been taken to create a level playing field.

  • DD Free Dish sees robust bidding for MPEG-4 e-auction, 11 channels allocated slots

    DD Free Dish sees robust bidding for MPEG-4 e-auction, 11 channels allocated slots

    KOLKATA: Prasar Bharati has earned nearly Rs 10 crore through the 53rd e-auction of MPEG-4 slots of DD Free Dish. 11 channels were successfully allocated MPEG-4 slots post the auction.

    The 53rd round of e-auctions was dominated by news channels, with 10 out of the 11 slot up for grabs being won by news outlets. The channels that earned the FTA tag this time are: Chardikla Time TV, I Love Pen Studios, India News, India News UP/UK, Jantantra TV, News 18 UP/UK, News 24 Think First, News India 24X7, News State UP/UK, Samay, Sudarshan News.

    The bid values of these channels were in the range of Rs 76 lakh and Rs 1.12 crore.

    “Thankful to all broadcasters who have reposed faith in DD Free Dish platform. The e-auctions for both MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 slots have seen robust bidding and new highs in individual bids breaching earlier levels in a sign of optimism in the broadcast sector overcoming Covid2019 shock,” Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati said.

    The pubcaster recently amended the policy guidelines for DD Free Dish slots. According to new guidelines, the reserve price for MPEG-4 slots have been fixed at Rs 50 lakh per annum. Earlier, the reserve price was Rs 5 lakh per annum.

    The amended rules termed ‘Policy guidelines for allotment of slots of DD Free Dish Direct-to-Home Platform to satellite TV channels (Third amendment) 2021’ came into force from 22 February.

    Under the old rules, the participation fee was at Rs 1.25 lakh which has been revised to Rs 10 lakh. The incremental amount in the auction bids of MPEG-4 slots stands at a minimum of Rs 2 lakh, compared to Rs 10,000 under the old guidelines.

  • Dish TV receives MIB notice for payment of Rs 4,164.05 crore

    Dish TV receives MIB notice for payment of Rs 4,164.05 crore

    KOLKATA:The Indian ministry of information & broadcasting (MIB) and  direct to home television provider Dish TV have been at loggerheads over this matter for sometime now. And the latter has informed the Bombay stock exchange (BSE)  that the former has brought up its demand to pay up long disputed licence fees totalling Rs 4,164.5 crore once again.  The amount includes interest and the demand from the MIB is that Dish TV pay it up within 15 days.

    The Jawahar Goel headed firm says that the MIB has clarified that the amount  is further subject to verification and audit and the outcome of various court cases pending before the TDSAT, the high court of Jammu and Kashmir and the supreme court.

    “In this regard, we would like to inform that the ministry of information and broadcasting had issued a demand notice in the year 2014 for the licence fee pertaining from the date of issuance of DTH License till financial year 12 – 13. The said demand notice was challenged by the company before the TDSAT and the said demand has been stayed by the TDSAT, which stay continues to be in force,” Dish TV said in the regulatory  filing with the BSE. .

    Further, the company's petition is also pending before the  Jammu and Kashmir high court where it has challenged  inter alia the quantum / applicability of licence fee and imposition of interest. Similar writs are also pending before the apex court.

    Dish TV informed that it is studying the communication to determine its next steps. The DTH licence  fee matter has already been through several rounds of litigation, the final outcomes of which are yet to be argued and concluded, it added. It would update the stock exchanges on any material developments.

    The notice has come at a time when the government has opened up 100 per cent foreign direct investment in DTH, extended the duration of licences given to operators.

  • Epic On app now on DishSMRT Hub & d2h Stream

    Epic On app now on DishSMRT Hub & d2h Stream

    KOLKATA: Dish TV India has now made available OTT platform Epic On on its DishSMRT Hub and d2h Stream android set-top box. DishTV & D2H users can now access Epic On’s massive content library including over 2,000 hours of factual and fictional series, movies, talks, and documentaries.

    This partnership will enable Dish TV customers to have access to Epic On’s engaging short-format content especially customised for digital audiences. DishTV and D2H users will now be able to stream an exciting slate of 5,000 hours of inspiring and entertaining podcasts, 1,000-plus casual multiplayer and interactive games, along with e-sports and over 1,000 E-books for bibliophiles.

    Dish TV India executive director and group CEO Anil Dua said, “We have been continuously working on expanding our content basket based on the tastes and preferences of our subscribers. Our partnership with Epic On is another step in the same direction, making it easy for our Android box users to access their vast content library including, short-form versions of its flagship and popular TV shows. At Dish TV India, we strive to bring the best for our customers with all our associations as well as through exclusive content, taking the entertainment quotient higher each time.”

    EPIC ON COO Sourjya Mohanty said, “While tier-2 and tier- 3 audiences are getting used to consuming OTT content, a strategic partnership with Dish TV would help us in accelerating our national presence through its strong distribution network across India. We are delighted to associate with Dish TV for this exciting offering and believe that this opportunity would help further ease the content consumption experience of our users. With our recent launch, we are devoted to the idea of an India-centric OTT platform and are exploring every opportunity that helps us to reach our audience more effectively.”

    In addition to Epic On, the android box offers a host of features like built-in Google Assistant, Chromecast, Google Play, and access to all popular featured OTT platforms like Watcho, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Zee5, Voot, Eros Now, ALTBalaji, and many more. Coupled with the ease of using voice commands via Google Assistant, the Android-based set-top box is compatible with any television set.

    Dish SMRT Hub and d2h stream are internet-enabled android-based HD set top box, available for Rs 3,999 for new subscribers and Rs 2,499 for existing subscribers.

  • Dish TV posts weak Q2 results

    Dish TV posts weak Q2 results

    New Delhi: Dish TV India has reported second-quarter fiscal 2021 unaudited consolidated subscription revenues of Rs.7,65.7 crore and operating revenues of Rs. 8,46.4 crore.

    The subscription revenue has seen a dip of 3.3 per cent year-on-year. In 2019, the subscription revenue stood at Rs 792 crore for the same period.

    Operating revenue is also down by 5.2 per cent Y-o-Y. The operating revenue for the same quarter in 2019 stood at Rs 893.2 crore.

    EBITDA for the quarter stood at Rs. 525.3 crore up 0.9 per cent Y-o-Y. EBITDA margin was at 62.1 per cent, up 380 bps Y-o-Y.

    Profit after tax was Rs. 64.5 crore as against a loss of Rs. 96.4 crore last year.

    Total expenses during the quarter were down 13.9 per cent Y-o-Y despite the loss from discard of consumer premises equipment (CPE), with trade partners, due to regional floods. The loss on account of write off of such CPE was to the tune of Rs. 99 million, as against Rs. 30 million in the previous year.

    Dish TV reported strong second-quarter numbers despite the challenges of the ongoing pandemic and a generally weak quarter. Working on all fronts, the company continued to build on its strengths while exploring and developing new technologies and processes to strengthen areas requiring improvement. As one of the steps towards retaining existing subscribers the company, in a bid to enhance subscriber engagement with the platform, upgraded its home-grown OTT platform ‘Watcho.

    ’ The upgrade introduced a popular feature that allows subscribers to create and upload videos. ‘Watcho,’ hosts a variety of indigenous web series and is believed to be an important connect between the DTH platform and its subscribers. The newly introduced feature provides a stage for creators to produce content in multiple formats – short to very short videos and short films, thus giving them exposure while helping ‘Watcho’ gain momentum in the user-generated content ecosystem. With social distancing norms keeping majority of the people indoors for most of the quarter, the company considered it critical to continue to work on further streamlining the touchless and digital recharge and buying experience.

    While home delivery of set-top boxes picked up speed, the sales and service teams spent significant time upskilling themselves and the on-ground network to integrate the new normal into their regular business practices.

    On the cost front, work on enhancing operational efficiencies and cost optimization carried on. In a significant departure from years of practice the company decided to procure set-top-boxes and other key accessories from India, going forward.

    The first consignment of ‘Made in India’ set-top-boxes was deployed during the quarter and India made power adaptors and remote controls are next on the list. The company initially plans to procure almost 50 per cent of its requirement of STBs from India.

    Dish TV India CMD Jawahar Goel said, “We are excited to be a part of the Government of India’s, ‘Make in India’ initiative and are geared up to localize the manufacturing of set-top-boxes and other key accessories. With the vision of ‘Make in India,’ we reiterate our commitment to quality products that would exceed the rapidly evolving needs of customers. We thank the Government for their support and favourable policies that would help grow the sector.”

    In the absence of fresh television content from pay entertainment broadcasters, subscribers remained picky in channel selection.

    Dish TV India group CEO Anil Dua said, “We continue to be cautious yet agile, listening to market and customer voices. As we tread through these never seen before times, we remain committed to leveraging our strengths and overcoming our shortcomings to keep Dish TV India strong, relevant and profitable. Our performance during the quarter was in line with our larger strategic decisions such as, disciplined acquisition and sensible capital investment. Lower overall revenues were more than offset by our expense management measures.”

    Dish TV and d2h continued to strengthen their regional content portfolio during the quarter. Both platforms added six new HD channels for their respective subscribers down south, making them amongst the strongest content platforms in those markets. Other regional markets like Bengal and Orissa too witnessed fresh content being added to their list of channels.

    In Bengal, Dish TV India partnered with ‘Hoichoi,’ a leading Bengali on-demand platform. The ‘Hoichoi’ app was also added in the App Zone of the Companies Android based connected devices, Dish SMRT Hub and d2h Stream. The company looks forward to enhance the content offering on its hybrid STB through more such partnerships aimed at catering to the entertainment appetite of its native language subscribers.

    Dish TV India, in an industry-first initiative, announced the launch of ‘Korean Drama Active’ service. Observing a surge in consumption of content of Korean origin online, the company in its endeavour to meet subscriber viewing preferences launched the Korean Active service at a nominal subscription price of Rs. 47 plus taxes per month. The service enriches subscribers’ DTH experience by giving them access to more than 300 hours of premium Korean content dubbed in Hindi language. 

  • Dish TV India partners with HoichoI, introduces Bengali viewing content on both its platforms

    Dish TV India partners with HoichoI, introduces Bengali viewing content on both its platforms

    KOLKATA: Expanding its content library to enthrall its customers, Dish TV India Limited, India’s leading DTH Company has announced its partnership with Hoichoi, a leading Bengali on-demand video and music-streaming platform that streams content worldwide. With this strategic association with Hoichoi, Dish TV India has further strengthened its portfolio by adding one more app in the app zone on its Android-based connected devices, namely Dish SMRT Hub and D2H stream for its DishTV and D2H users respectively. Users will now be able to stream an exciting slate of popular and exclusive Bengali language content, Hoichoi Originals, TV shows, Music Videos and Movies. DishTV and D2H already offer the most popular apps including its streaming app ‘Watcho’.
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    The new addition on Dish SMRT Hub and D2H stream, hoichoi, boasts deep diverse catalogue with over 2000+ hours of viewing content, which includes popular Original Series like Hello Seasons 1 & 2, Byomkesh all five seasons, Shobdo Jobdo, Montu Pilot, Rahasya Romancha Series 2, Bonyo Premer Golpo, the recently streamed Tansener Tanpura among others; Classics of Satyajit Ray, Uttam Kumar-Suchitra Sen, Ritwik Ghatak; Blockbuster Films like Gumnaami, Dwitiyo Purush, Konttho, National Award-winning films like Kedara, Nagarkirtan and many more. Delivering best in class content across genres, the application will cater to the different content expectations of the customers and will keep them enthralled.

    Speaking about the association, Dish TV India Limited executive director and group CEO Anil Dua said, “At a time when everyone is spending more time with their television sets, we want to ensure that people get to enjoy a whole range of entertainment shows and movies together with their families. Catering to the growing audience appetite for entertainment in their native language, we are delighted to collaborate with Hoichoi to offer premium viewing content for our Bengali customers on both our DishTV and D2H platforms. We will continue to enhance the content offering on our hybrid set up box through more such partnerships.”

    On this partnership, Hoichoi co-founder Vishnu Mohta commented, “In such unprecedented times, we should do our bit to encourage our audiences to stay at home. With the increased demand of watching content, be it movies or series, this promising partnership with Dish TV India will help us cater and reach out to a larger audience base. Our consumers will now be able to view their content of choice from the vast library of Hoichoi, on both the popular DishTV and D2H platforms.”

    In addition to Hoichoi, the Android box offers a host of features including built-in Google Assistant, Chromecast, Google Play and access to all popular featured OTT platforms like YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Zee5, Watcho, Voot, ALTBalaji and many more. Coupled with the ease of using voice commands via Google Assistant, the Android-based set-top box is compatible with any television set. ‘Dish SMRT Hub’ and ‘D2H stream’ are internet-enabled Android-based HD Set Top Box, available at Rs 3,999 for new subscribers and Rs 2,499 for existing subscribers.

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  • Find out what’s trending on TV with Tata Sky’s redesigned Home Screen

    Find out what’s trending on TV with Tata Sky’s redesigned Home Screen

    NEW DELHI:  Keeping the customer at the centre of all tech innovations, Tata Sky, India’s leading content distribution and Pay TV platform has introduced a first of its kind feature on its set-top boxes – Trending on TV. This feature enhances the TV viewing experience, offering subscribers a one-stop solution to easily discover trending content under Top Movies and Live Sports categories by simply pressing the yellow button on the Tata Sky remote control. This feature has been integrated across all HD & SD set-top boxes, making it thereby a first of its kind proposition for non-web connected set top boxes in India. 

    ‘Top Movies’, subscribers can choose movie titles from 8 languages including English, Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Bengali that are filtered basis a rating of 5.5 and above. This not only allows the subscribers to access the best films across the list of available channels but also saves channel-surfing time. Similarly, the feature acts as a guide to live sporting events whenever they air. The new Home App also includes Channel Info and Channel Search options, offering the ease of discovering and subscribing to new channels categorised by channel name, channel number, genre and languages at the simple touch of a button.

    Talking about the feature, a Tata Sky Spokesperson said, “At Tata Sky it has always been our endeavour to provide our subscribers with the widest variety of content delivered via best in class technology. The new Home App is another innovation unique to Tata Sky’s set-top boxes, providing subscribers with a readymade content guide thereby making it convenient to choose from trending movies and sporting events by simply pressing the yellow button on the remote control.”

    The new features offer subscribers an improved TV watching experience and a hassle-free option of switching to their favourite channels. It comes with a one-stop self-care solution to independently address daily account related requirements like adding channels that are carrying trending content to the bouquet, changing RMN, among others. The steps to easily use the new features are being communicated to subscribers through brand films and digital promotions.

  • Dish TV asks Yes Bank to get MIB go-ahead on its share acquisition

    Dish TV asks Yes Bank to get MIB go-ahead on its share acquisition

    MUMBAI: Last Friday, YES Bank informed the stock exchanges that it had acquired 24.19 per cent stake in direct-to-home (DTH) operator Dish TV India Ltd. The latter said on Monday that the disclosure filed by the bank regarding the acquisition contains certain incorrect facts.

    Moreover, it has highlighted another important aspect as per DTH License guidelines which clearly prohibit any change in equity structures of licensee company without prior approval from the ministry of information & broadcasting (MIB). Hence, it has stated that the acquisition of shares by Yes Bank without the ministry’s consent is against the DTH guidelines and has requested Yes Bank to obtain the green signal from the MIB prior to effecting their transfer.

    "We would like to mention that your statement, ‘shares acquired on invocation of pledge subsequent to default/breach of terms of loan to Dish TV India Limited’ is an incorrect statement," Dish TV said in a filing to the BSE.

    It also clarified that as on the date of the communication, the DTH platform was not in default of any payment obligations to Yes Bank under the financing facility availed from the lender.

    “Further, you are also well aware that ‘no shares have been pledged by the promoters of Dish TV or any other entity for the loans availed by Dish TV from Yes Bank Ltd. Therefore, there cannot be any question of invocation of any pledged shares in relation to the loans availed by Dish TV from Yes Bank,”’ the DTH company's official added in the note filed with the BSE yesterday.

    The bank had earlier in a note to the exchange informed that it  had acquired 44,53,48,990 equity shares having a nominal value of Re 1 per share.  “Shares have been acquired pursuant to invocation of pledge of the shares subsequent to default/breach of terms of credit facilities sanctioned by Yes Bank to Essel Business Excellence Services Ltd, Essel Corporate Resources Private Ltd, Living Entertainment Enterprises Private Ltd, Last Mile Online Ltd, Pan India Network Infravest Ltd, RPW Projects Private Ltd, Mumbai WTR Private Ltd,” Yes Bank had said.

    Dish TV has also requested Yes Bank to issue corrigendum to its earlier statement and inform the stock exchanges of the same.

  • D2H launches DIA, an AI-enabled chatbot for customer service

    D2H launches DIA, an AI-enabled chatbot for customer service

    MUMBAI: D2H has launched the ‘D2H Intelligent Assistant’ (DIA), chatbot using the latest AI technology, for its customers. D2H Intelligent Assistant (DIA) is a one-stop solution platform for customers to solve their service queries through an automated assistant in real-time. For seamlessly handling customer problems and issues, a conversation mode approach in a friendly live chat format is used.

    Catering to the evolving needs of the customers for better, faster and more accurate resolutions of service queries and issues, ‘D2H Intelligent Assistant’ (DIA) comes with an array of exciting features, DIA seeks to make it easier, faster and simpler for D2H customers to resolve their queries and issues. 

    It is designed to process user requests and queries 24X7 through deep analytics and its artificial intelligence engine. DIA is enabled with a highly sophisticated machine learning system that enhances accurate, personalized customer service through a constant process of self-evolution and learning.

    D2H, Dish TV India Ltd corporate head-marketing Sugato Banerji said, “We have observed a growing need among our customers to opt for self-service channels for their routine queries and issues. Keeping this trend in mind, we are launching DIA – D2H Intelligent Assistant – a state of the art AI based intuitive chatbot that resolves a wide range of customer queries and issues on its own. DIA will significantly add to improving our customer service experience. The launch of DIA reaffirms the D2H promise of bringing the best of technology solutions for its customers.”

    DIA appears as a pop-up feature on the website and introduces itself as “DIA”. One can initiate a conversation by simply entering a message and enjoy a rich, personalised experience, delivering real-time responses, timely and pertinent to one’s D2H account. It also offers solutions to issues related to recharge offers, current balance, add-on service upgrades and even suggests best recharge offers.