ITV

Category: DTH

  • DD Free Dish adds three new channels

    DD Free Dish adds three new channels

    KOLKATA: The state broadcaster run free-to-air DTH platform DD Free Dish has added three new channels. These include ANB News, Aryan TV National and News India 24×7.

    These channels won the bid during the 47th e-auctions that was held on 26 August. They are allotted slots for the period between 1 September 2020 to 31 March 2021.

    The broadcaster announced the addition of two new channels earlier in August.

    All of the three channels which have a presence on other DTH platforms as well fall under News category- ANB News is a Punjab based Hindi news channel,  Aryan TV National, a Bihar based Hindi news channel and News India 24×7 is a Rajasthan based Hindi news channel.

    Doordarshan started its DTH service as DD Direct+ in December 2004, which was renamed as DD Free Dish on 27 August 2013. At present, its capacity is two HD channels, 106 SDTV channels along with 48 Radio channels. DD Free Dish has a reach of more than 38 million households, which is about 15 per cent of the total TV Households in the country.

  • Tata Sky’s partner Technicolor to shift settop box manufacturing to India

    Tata Sky’s partner Technicolor to shift settop box manufacturing to India

    KOLKATA:  In a big move, Tata Sky, India’s direct-to-home (DTH) operator has decided to shift a significant portion of its settop box sourcing within the country. It has partnered with Technicolor to develop settop boxes for the Indian market that will be manufactured and distributed within India. 

    “As the world adjusts to the rapid changes emerging due to the recent effects of the Covid2019 pandemic, Tata Sky and Technicolor connected home is realigning production of a group of settop boxes (STBs) to India by early 2021,” said Tata Sky MD & CEO Harit Nagpal.

    The shift in production and supply chain operations, according to the two companies, will streamline the manufacturing and delivery of STBs to consumers in India and further strengthen the longstanding collaboration that has been in place between Technicolor and Tata Sky. 

    “Working with Tata Sky to move settop box production to India will better serve this important market. It is yet another example of Technicolor’s best-in-class supply chain, which remains flexible and adaptable. This is especially valuable in volatile situations, such as those created by Covid2019. Our supply chain capabilities have proven to be a strategic asset as we offer multiple options to our customers. We remain committed to minimizing risk and total cost of ownership for services providers around the world,” Technicolor Connected Home president Luis Martinez-Amago commented.

  • DishTV and D2H expand regional HD content portfolio, add 6 new HD channels

    DishTV and D2H expand regional HD content portfolio, add 6 new HD channels

    KOLKATA: Expanding its portfolio of regional language channels, Dish TV India Limited, India’s leading DTH Company, has announced the addition of six new HD channels to its DishTV and D2H platforms. With this, the company aims to provide unparalleled entertainment to the customers in the southern region in their preferred language and enhance the high-definition television viewing experience of users across regions. 

    The range of newly launched high definition channels includes ZEE Tamil HD, ZEE Telugu HD, ZEE Cinemalu HD, ZEE Keralam HD, ZEE Kannada HD, and &PRIVE HD for users of both DishTV and D2H. With the addition of these channels, the company aims to strengthen its HD content for its core regional consumers in the south market.  

    Commenting on the new HD channel additions, Corporate Head – Marketing, D2H, Dish TV India Limited corporate head- marketing Sugato Banerji said, “We are witnessing a burgeoning trend for high definition TV’s in the living rooms, as an ideal choice of consumers. This trend is now percolating down the population strata and across linguistic zones, especially in the Southern region. Hence, we are delighted to bring these six new HD channels on both our platforms, five of which are especially for our south subscribers.”

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  • Customers are in an omnichannel world now, reaching them is a lot more complex: Tata Sky’s Anurag Kumar

    Customers are in an omnichannel world now, reaching them is a lot more complex: Tata Sky’s Anurag Kumar

    KOLKATA: India’s undisputed DTH leader Tata Sky unveiled a digital campaign to celebrate its 14 anniversary recently. Of all other usual campaigns, it stands out in its approach of keeping consumers at the heart of the video. Rather than boasting of success with putting a few numbers together, the company has conveyed its journey through its loyal subscribers. While it has invoked a sense of authenticity, Tata Sky chief communication officer Anurag Kumar reiterated more empathy, more authenticity, talking about community, the family in communication are making it easier to connect with consumers in the post-Covid2019 period.

    To get a sense of the campaign, Tata Sky’s challenges and opportunities going forward, we caught up with Kumar. He shared that when they were ideating about what would be the best way to reach consumers, they thought of going back to subscribers who have been a part of the brand’s journey for a long time. The subscribers spoke their mind, did not read a script given by the company, and the videos were shot on the phone. 

    According to Kumar, such pieces of content created around consumers have greater engagement on social media platforms while TVC would have been one-way. Hence, the company opted for a digital campaign. Even so, the campaign was put up on Tata Sky’s landing page for a short period of time. The video on the digital medium has garnered 23 million impressions and 5.9 million views within seven days.

    “I think what we have seen in lockdown is the desire to care about the community and the family has increased. People are more aware of who is around them, they are helping each other a lot. Hence, what we have found is that communication which will be conveyed with sympathy for consumers, authenticity in terms representing real life, what the customer is going through, how they are at home, that is connecting much better in the post-Covid2019 period than before. communication filled with more empathy, more authenticity, talking about community, the family is connecting more,” Kumar opined.

    While pandemic is accelerating an overall change, the media and entertainment industry has already started facing an overhaul of the ecosystem. Standing at the critical juncture, Tata Sky is treating OTT as a friend rather than foe. While it has forayed into the video-on-demand market through Tata Sky Binge, Kumar said the overall challenge is now how do they make the brand as phenomenal for OTT as it has been for live TV. 

    He shared their approach to counter that challenge. Tata Sky is an expert at aggregating content and brings it to consumers. Now, it is looking at bringing the same kind of convenience and aggregation to OTT. “We have to continuously innovate, try to be relevant in future, from a TV point of view and OTT point of view,” Kumar contended. He said along with opportunities in OTT, pay-TV still has opportunities with 100 million TV unpenetrated households. 

    There are challenges in the industry along with opportunities. Kumar said the regulatory uncertainty, that industry faces, is a big challenge  As a result of frequent regulatory changes, the entire relationship between the various players in the value chain has to be evolved constantly resulting in a change in the business model, customer selling strategy, customer management approach. 

    “The other challenge is a significant cost and investment which we have to spend to reach consumers via media as it is expensive in India. Earlier, it was TV and print while now there are so many platforms. The customer is actually in an omnichannel world now. If we want to reach a consumer that is a lot more complex now. It is true even for sales as they can go to e-commerce, a physical dealer can contact the call centre. Hence, reaching the consumer in an efficient way via media and physical channels is a challenge. It’s not insurmountable, but it is something which we have to keep in mind,” Kumar commented. 

  • DishTV strengthens its presence in Kerala Market

    DishTV strengthens its presence in Kerala Market

    KOLKATA: Dish TV India Limited, India’s leading DTH Company is set to add cheer to the festive season with a slew of attractive offers and packages as it joins the Onam celebrations in Kerala. Keeping in line with its commitment to provide best in class entertainment choices to its new and existing customer, DishTV has introduced new channels, packs, and acquisition offers along with exciting recharge offers at attractive prices to its customers.      

    Catering to the need of customers, the new packages offered by DishTV have been devised keeping in mind the diverse choice of content across various segments. As part of the offer, two new special packs have been launched, basis the language preferred by the customers. The new recharge packs include Joy Malayalam Tamil HD; comprising all popular Malayalam channels with Popular Tamil channels and also include three discovery channels; Animal Planet HD, Discovery HD and TLC HD and Premiere Jumbo HD; comprising all Malayalam with popular English movies, news, sports, infotainment channels.     

    Commenting on the festive offers, Marketing, Dish TV and Watcho corporate head-marketing Sukhpreet Singh said, “We would like to thank the people of Kerala for their continuous support throughout the year and Onam is an opportune time for us to show our gratitude. We intend to make this festive season special for everyone by providing many exciting offers and packages for our DishTV customers. We recognize the ever-evolving aspirations of Keralites and are happy to offer services focused on delivering maximum choice and entertainment benefit to our customers. Kerala is an important market for Dish TV India and we are confident that Onam special offers and packages will bring new customers and growth in this market.”     

    In addition to this, the company has introduced offers based on the need for multi-lingual content consumption for new as well as existing subscribers and has strengthened its content portfolio in Kerala by adding channels like Zee Keralam HD, & Prive HD and many more south region channels. It also added Kite Victers, an educational channel for students, devoted to broadcasting high-quality education programs and infotainment content in Malayalam. To further encourage existing subscribers, special long term schemes have been announced, wherein subscribers can avail one month extra on payment of six months.    

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  • Tata Sky Seniors airs Neena Gupta’s iconic show ‘Saans’ after two decades! Tune in to 505

    Tata Sky Seniors airs Neena Gupta’s iconic show ‘Saans’ after two decades! Tune in to 505

    A modern take on adultery, relationships and broken marriages, the iconic show Saans was a breath of fresh air for the television audiences in the 90s. Bringing back those memories, Tata Sky Seniors is airing the cult 1998 show which was written and directed by National Award Winning actress Neena Gupta. She also played the role of female protagonist alongside actor Kanwaljit Singh, Kavita Kapoor, Shagufta Ali, Sushmita Daan, and Bharat Kapoor, amongst others. The show is on-air on Tata Sky Seniors – Tune in 505 every Monday to Friday at 12 noon and 9 pm.

    The show was ahead of its time and challenged the image of an Indian woman as it tried to analyse the antics of the institution of marriage, cheating, and falling in love. It revolved around the happily married Priya Kapoor (Neena Gupta) and Gautam Kapoor (Kanwaljit Singh) and their teenage kids Akul and Mithi. However, things change when Gautam befriends Manisha (Kavita Kapoor), who later falls for him. He leaves Priya, only to find Manisha is tough to handle. Priya struggles to find her identity and stands up for herself eventually.

    Neena Gupta took to social media to express her excitement and asked her fans to revisit and enjoy the old memories. In a video posted on Instagram, she said, “Everyone can now watch my show ‘Saans’ on Tata Sky from Monday- Friday at 9.00pm. Those who have watched it before, can watch it again and those who didn’t get a chance to watch it, can start watching it now.”

    Tata Sky Seniors is a specially curated service for senior citizens with shows related to health & fitness, digital education, financial planning & relationship management.

    ~Watch ‘Saans’ on 505 from Monday – Friday at 12 noon and 9 pm. You can watch all episodes of the week at a go on Sunday at 7.30 pm only on Tata Sky Seniors. The service is also available on Tata Sky Mobile app

  • Tata Sky Binge strengthens OTT play with the addition of VOOT Select and VOOT Kids

    Tata Sky Binge strengthens OTT play with the addition of VOOT Select and VOOT Kids

    KOLKATA: Strengthening its content catalogue to meet the growing entertainment requirements across age groups, Tata Sky Binge – Tata Sky’s OTT aggregator service has now partnered with Viacom18 Digital Ventures to bring onboard their premium content streaming service VOOT Select, and kids-focused VOOT Kids for its growing subscriber base.

    This partnership will add India’s top TV shows from Viacom18 and Voot Originals, along with the most-loved cartoon characters from Indian and International shows, to Tata Sky Binge. Bringing the benefits of catch-up and premium OTT content on television, Tata Sky Binge already offers a host of entertainment options from India’s top OTT platforms, such as Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar Premium, ZEE5, SunNxt, Hungama Play, Eros Now and ShemarooMe.

    The addition of VOOT Select and VOOT Kids to the existing vast offering of content on Tata Sky Binge will enable Binge users to access path breaking originals, exclusive international content, cult blockbuster movies in multiple languages and a versatile collection of thousands of videos, e-books, quizzes and audio stories for children with an aim to aid  holistic development of their mental, emotional and social faculties.. The partnership will reconceptualize the way content is consumed on television in the age of connected devices and will help cater to a wide set of underserved audiences, giving a fillip to consumer satisfaction quotient.

    Commenting on the partnership, Tata Sky chief commercial officer and content officer  Pallavi Puri said, “Keeping customer requirements at the forefront, we have continued to expand the library for Tata Sky Binge with OTT apps that offer the most popular and relatable content for the entire family. In the current environment when children are facing a dearth of entertainment options, adding VOOT Kids will enhance the entertainment experience for kids with a balanced library of fun and learning content. Further, with Voot Select, we will open the doors to Viacom18’s exciting library of movies and top Indian TV shows – all available 24 hours before TV.”

    Commenting on the partnership, Viacom18 Digital Ventures COO Gourav Rakshit said, “At VOOT, we believe in building a versatile and immersive digital ecosystem that will add value to our users with path-breaking and diverse content experiences. With an increase in demand for content consumption, be it entertainment through VOOT Select or fun learning through VOOT Kids, this promising collaboration with Tata Sky Binge will help us cater and reach out to a larger audience base. We are delighted to partner with a like-minded brand who resonates with our ideologies and will help us make content viewing an enriching and engaging experience for all our viewers.”

    With VOOT Select, Tata Sky Binge users can access host of exciting content, including many Voot Originals like Asur, Marzi, Raiker Case, Illegal, etc. Blockbuster movies and on demand content of popular shows from Colors (Hindi), MTV, Nickelodeon, Colors Kannada, Colors Marathi, Colors Bangla, Colors Super and Colors Gujarati will also be featured on the platform. Added to the list are renowned international shows, such as Shark Tank S11, Why Women Kill, The Good Wife, The Affair and The Twilight Zone among others.

    At a time when kids are compelled to stay indoors and there has been an increased demand for content to keep them safely engaged at home, the partnership with VOOT Kids – India’s only app for kids that provides an amalgamation of learning and entertainment content – will provide the perfect destination for kids on Tata Sky Binge. It offers thousands of hours of popular Indian and international shows, with 200+ cartoons – including favourites like Pokemon, Peppa Pig, Paw Patrol, Motu Patlu, Dora the Explorer, Ben 10 and Avatar – 150+ audio stories, 500+ eBooks and 5000+ educational quizzes.

    Tata Sky subscribers can access the library of premium OTT apps on Tata Sky Binge via the Amazon Fire TV Stick – Tata Sky Edition for just Rs. 299/-per month. New and existing Tata Sky customers can avail a Tata Sky Binge+ connection at an offer price of Rs. 3999/- which includes 6 months subscription to the Tata Sky Binge platform. Tata Sky Binge customers on the FireTV stick or the Android Box also get access to last seven days of missed shows (based on linear entitlement) and three months of Amazon Prime subscription at no extra cost.

  • IMCL engages Cloudpoint Technologies to manage key aspects of its B2C segment

    IMCL engages Cloudpoint Technologies to manage key aspects of its B2C segment

    KOLKATA: In keeping with its focus on enhancing its services to its subscribers, IndusInd Media & Communications Ltd (IMCL) has engaged Cloudpoint Technologies to manage key aspects of its B2C segment, in Mumbai initially. Cloudpoint, which has been engaged by IMCL since last year to provide strategic advisory and support services for its direct points, will now take on the mantle of providing key services to IMCL’s direct CATV subscribers in Mumbai – ranging from revenue collection and end-to-end customer lifecycle management to upselling and cross-selling. Cloudpoint will deliver these services through a dedicated team completely focussed on the core objective of consumer satisfaction.

    IMCL chief operating officer NK Rouse said, “It is our constant endeavour to enhance consumer experience through superior service and also foster growth through engagements with specialist firms. This initiative is one such endeavour and is in line with one of the guiding principles of our Hinduja Group – “Partnership for Growth”. It is not only going to unlock opportunities for bringing about desired growth, but also result in superior consumer experience through agile and focussed consumer service for our direct point consumers.”

    “We are obviously delighted to be a part of IMCL’s amazing journey, now with a deeper engagement – moving from strategic advisory role to operational execution. Team Cloudpoint will strive to achieve the objectives which the company has set for itself,” Cloudpoint Technologies director and co-founder Himanshu Patil said.

    With ever-changing consumer expectations and requirements, more pronounced during these challenging times; it is imperative to move closer to the consumers and extend world-class service to create the desired consumer delight. This engagement would add significant value to the direct consumer journey by enhancing agility, coupled with an improved support system.

  • Tata Sky celebrates 14th anniversary, creates a nostalgic digital campaign

    Tata Sky celebrates 14th anniversary, creates a nostalgic digital campaign

    KOLKATA: 8 August marked the fourteenth anniversary of Tata Sky, a brand that has grown into a successful and innovation-led organization with a deep-rooted commitment to customer satisfaction through hard work and living up to its ideals of delivering value through strategic planning, technical innovation and embodying passion for all their endeavors.

    To commemorate the fourteenth-anniversary milestone, Tata Sky, India’s leading content distribution and Pay TV platform in collaboration with Chimp&z Inc, created a nostalgic #14YearsOfJingalala digital campaign honoring the allegiance of 14 of its patrons who have been the earliest customers of Tata Sky. 

    The outreach involved touching base with some of the loyal customers spread across the country and requesting them to share their thoughts on being associated with the brand for more than a decade. Their unscripted anecdotes and memories thus garnered advocated the evolution of the brand over the last 14 years and were weaved into a nostalgic video that enunciated trust and quality. The campaign was further amplified with celebrity influencers congratulating Tata Sky for a successful and formidable journey.

    Commenting on honoring this landmark anniversary, Tata Sky chief communication officer Anurag Kumar said, “Our history of putting the customer first is evident through our network of long-term customers, many of which have been with us for over ten years. This anniversary, we wanted to relive the connections we have forged with our consumers through genuine and authentic testimonials that gave an overview of their journey with us. The responses received not only makes for a joyful and encouraging video but also makes us take comfort in the fact that we have made a positive difference to their lives and earned their loyalty for life.”

    On the success of the campaign, Chimp&z Inc CEO and co-founder Angad Singh Manchanda said, “We went by the thought that a significant milestone like the 14th anniversary of Tata Sky needed to be upheld with a campaign that brought out the real essence of the brand. And what better way to do that than to reach out to those people who have experienced the service and quality of the product first hand. The #14YearsOfJingalala campaign video is like beautiful memorabilia to be cherished. The people featured in the video are not only consumers but brand custodians and have been endorsing the brand in their own little way.”

  • Airtel Digital TV operating revenue up as bottom line dips for first quarter

    Airtel Digital TV operating revenue up as bottom line dips for first quarter

    BENGALURU: The digital TV services segment from Sunil Mittal’s Bharti Airtel Ltd (Airtel), Airtel Digital TV, which provides direct to home (DTH) satellite television services, reported growth of 0.8 percent in operating revenue at Rs 744.8 crore for the quarter ended 30 June 2020 (Q1 2020, quarter or period under review) as compared to Rs 738.9 crore for the corresponding quarter of the previous year Q1 2019 (y-o-y). However, this is not a true oranges-oranges comparison, since as of 1 March 2020, Airtel Digital TV services has implemented new guidelines of NCF (Network Carriage Fees) under the new tariff order (NTO) from Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The company says in a media release that Airtel Digital TV revenue witnessed a growth of 9.3 percent y-o-y on an underlying basis, on the back of strong customer additions.

    Airtel Digital TV operating profit for the quarter under review declined 23.5 percent to Rs 276.2 crore (37.1 percent of operating revenue) as compared to Rs 361.2 crore (48.9 percent of operating revenue) for Q1 2020. Airtel reported 1.3 percent growth in Assets to Rs 3,462 crore for Q1 2021 from Rs 3,417.4 crore in Q1 2020. However, Assets in Q1 2021 were 12.9 percent lower than the Rs 3,794.9 crore in the immediate trailing quarter (Q4 2020). The segment’s liabilities for Q1 2021 grew 11.6 percent to Rs 4000.5 crore from Rs 3,585.2 crore in Q1 2020. Liabilities in the quarter under review were however 3 percent lower than the Rs 4,122.4 crore in the immediate trailing quarter Q4 2020.

    The company reported a 5.1 percent y-o-y increase in net DTH subscribers in Q1 2021 at 1.68 crore as compared to 1.6 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous year.

    Bharti Airtel’s consolidated revenue for Q1 2021 grew 15.4 percent on an underlying basis to Rs 23,939 crore as compared to the year ago quarter. Consolidated EBIDTA for the quarter under review was Rs 10,639 crore (44.4 percent margin). India revenue at Rs 17,589 crore were up 14.6 percent and up 15.1 percent on an underlying basis y-o-y.

    An earnings media release for Q1 2021 quotes Airtel MD and CEO, India & South Asia Gopal Vittal: “We are going through an unprecedented crisis caused by COVID. Despite this, our teams have served the country well and kept our customers connected. Data traffic growth surged by ~73 percent y-o-y even as 4G net additions slowed down to 2 Million caused by supply chain shocks in the device ecosystem. Revenues grew by 15% Y-o-Y and performance was satisfactory across all segments. Our flagship “War on Waste” program, helped improve EBITDA margin by 1.6 percent over the previous quarter. To serve our customers even better, we have launched a company-wide program to improve our customer experience. We continue to invest in the best of emerging technologies to make our networks future ready. We have made rapid strides in our digital business, with nearly 155 million monthly active users across Airtel Thanks, Wynk, Xstream and our payments platforms. Today, 60 percent of Airtel’s entire business goes through its digital channels. We are most excited about the string of partners we are attracting in order to build greater stickiness and ultimately growth from our digital assets.”

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