ITV

Category: DTH

  • Independent TV assures TRAI of compliance with new tariff order after subscribers complain

    Independent TV assures TRAI of compliance with new tariff order after subscribers complain

    MUMBAI: Direct-to-home (DTH) operator Independent TV has clarified to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) that it has taken several measures in order to ensure that its current tariff plans are in conformity with the regulator’s new framework for the broadcast sector.

    TRAI had earlier sought an explanation from the DTH operator, formerly known as Big TV, over the tariff plans offered to its subscribers post the implementation of the new regime.

    TRAI, in a letter on 26 March, had directed Independent TV "to ensure that the new regulations are followed in letter and spirit with no violations…ensure that all new connections booked are provided in a time bound manner…and ensure that all outlets of Independent TV Ltd do not provide any package which is in violation of new regulations".

    This regulator’s action was a direct result of several complaints from Independent TV subscribers concerning the break-up details for monthly charges and an overall lack of clarity in terms of the operator’s new tariff plans.

    "In regard to our current tariff plans being offered by Independent TV, we would like to assure the authority of our complete compliance with the NTO (New Tariff Order). Pursuant to our meetings…and the discussions…we have realigned our product offerings,” Independent TV told TRAI in a letter written last month, according to news agency PTI.

    The operator also apprised TRAI of all its current plans and packages on offer, along with details of the network capacity fee (NCF) and distributor retail price.

    "There were some complaints that their franchisees were offering annual plans without clarity on break up…So, Independent TV has said it has not activated any annual plan after implementation of the new regulatory framework, and that in case any of its franchisee is offering such plans, it will take necessary action," a TRAI official said.

    Independent TV has also upped its communication strategy crafting advertisements and clearly stating its policy on withdrawal of the legacy offers and other details like channel packs and pricing on its website.

    "With regard to any ambiguity on the old annual offer (Freedom 1999) from Independent TV and its current availability, we have taken the following steps…We have run a campaign on our website informing all prospective customers of the withdrawal of all our LDPs (Long Duration Packs) including Freedom 1999 pack. We have aggressively engaged in educating and explaining the same to our channel partners," the Independent TV letter further said.

    The operator added, "Every complaint forwarded to us by the authority with regard to this issue is being verified one-on-one and any delinquent behaviour from any of our channel partners is being dealt with appropriately." 

  • Dish TV waives off 30-day lock-in period for pay channels, channel bouquets

    Dish TV waives off 30-day lock-in period for pay channels, channel bouquets

    MUMBIA: India’s biggest direct-to-home operator Dish TV has waived off the 30-day lock-in period for pay channels and select channel bouquets it had levied earlier.

    This lock-in period, which was earlier introduced by the DTH operator, prevented consumers from unsubscribing to a channel they had opted for until the duration of the lock-in period.

    Consumers can now drop and opt for channels without these restrictions.

    According to some subscribers, however, there is no change made to the seven-day lock-in period for sports channels.

    Dish TV is by far the largest DTH player in the country and probably the second largest globally. As on 31 December 2018, Dish TV claimed a net active subscriber base of 236 lakh (23.6 million, 2.36 crore).

    Two major DTH players – Airtel Direct TV (Airtel DTH) and the merged Dish TV Videocon d2h entity (Dish TV) have about 55 percent of the market share of private DTH subscribers in the country. During CY 2018, these two players added 17.06 lakh (1.706 million, 0.1706 crore) subscribers, or 58.2 percent of the net subscribers that were added by all the 5 private DTH players in the country. Airtel DTH added 10.63 lakh (1.063 million, 0.1063 crore) net subscribers, while Dish TV added 6.43 lakh (0.643 million, 0.0643 crore) during the period under review.

    Earlier in the week a report by CNBC-TV18 claimed that Singapore Telecommunications Ltd (Singtel) and Bharti Airtel are jointly looking to buy a stake in Dish TV in a bid to compete with Reliance Jio.

    The duo is looking to acquire the promoter’s 60 per cent stake in Dish TV for around Rs 6150 crore. As part of Bharti Airtel’s plan to raise $4.6 billion, Singtel is likely to buy stock in it worth $525 million through shares and bonds.

    GIC, the parent company of Singtel via Temasek Holdings, also owns about 20 per cent in Tata Sky and could hint at a future possibility of further consolidation in the DTH sector.

  • Sun Direct re-introduces regional packs under TRAI tariff order

    Sun Direct re-introduces regional packs under TRAI tariff order

    MUMBAI: Amid the new TRAI tariff regime, with consumers getting the power to choose their channels, many DTH providers are emphasising on long-term plans to viewers in a bid to attract them. Likewise, Sun Direct has joined the bandwagon by reintroducing its Jodi plans for subscribers.

    It has listed eight new Jodi plans for regional language channel viewers, by allowing the viewers to add channels to their already existing subscription much similar to other DTH providers’ add-on packs. Sun Direct is offering Tamil Jodi pack for Rs 50, which includes 13 channels to subscribers like Jaya TV, Discovery Tamil, Sony Yay and more.

    The second plan in this list is the Telugu Jodi pack, priced at Rs 70 which has 14 channels. More packs under the Sun Direct Jodi packs list include the Kannada Jodi pack for Rs 60, Malayalam Jodi pack for Rs 45, Odia Jodi pack for Rs 40.

    The pack for Rs 99 consists mostly of Hindi GEC channels and English Jodi pack that bundles 14 channels including few movie channels and sports channels and is available for Rs 120.

  • Applications for DD Free Dish Bucket R1 MPEG-2 slots invited by Prasar Bharati

    Applications for DD Free Dish Bucket R1 MPEG-2 slots invited by Prasar Bharati

    MUMBAI: Prasar Bharati has invited applications to fill up reserved Bucket R1 MPEG-2 slots of DD Free Dish DTH Platform on pro-rata basis for the period from 15 April to 31 May in accordance with amendment to Policy Guidelines  of slots of DD Free Dish, notified on March 30 2019.

    Only devotional/spiritual satellite channels, including channels promoting yoga, ayurveda, health and wellness based on traditional methods, licensed by the Ministry of I&B and categorized as Bucket R1 as per the amendment to policy guidelines for allotment of slots on DD Free Dish Direct to home satellite platform, notified by Prasar Bharati on 30.3.2019, are eligible to apply for allocation of these slots on pro-rata basis.

    The interim reserve/base price of Bucket R1 for allotment of slots on DD Free Dish on pro-rata basis is Rs 3.00 crore per year. Hence, the pro-rata carriage fee for the period from 15.04.2019 to 31.05.2019 will be Rs. 45,58,356/- (Rupees forty five lakhs fifty eight thousand three hundred fifty six only) inclusive of GST @18%.

    Broadcasters desirous of placing their Channels on DD Free Dish shall be required to declare genre and language of their channel while applying for pro-rata allocation.

    E-auction, if required, will be held on 12.04.2019.

  • 10.4 lakh DTH subscribers added in Oct-Dec 18 quarter in India

    10.4 lakh DTH subscribers added in Oct-Dec 18 quarter in India

    BENGALURU: In calendar year 2018 (1 January 2018 to 31 December 2018), India’s private direct to home (DTH) service providers added 29.3 lakh net subscribers of which 10.4 lakh additions were made in the last quarter of the calendar year (Oct-Dec 2018, Q3 2019, period under review).

    According to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) quarterly Indicator Reports, DTH has attained net pay active subscriber base of around  704.9 lakh (70.49 million, 7.049 crore)  with five pay DTH service providers as on 31 December, 2018. This is in addition to the subscribers of the free DTH services of Doordarshan. Quarterly growth in the DTH sector in terms of the net active subscriber base and market share of DTH operators in terms of the percentage of net active subscribers during the quarter is depicted in the following charts.

    Two major DTH players – Airtel Direct TV (Airtel DTH) and the merged Dish TV Videocon d2h entity (Dish TV) have about 55 percent of the market share of private DTH subscribers in the country. During CY 2018, these two players added 17.06 lakh (1.706 million, 0.1706 crore) subscribers, or 58.2 percent of the net subscribers that were added by all the five private DTH players in the country. Airtel DTH added 10.63 lakh (1.063 million, 0.1063 crore) net subscribers, while Dish TV added 6.43 lakh (0.643 million, 0.0643 crore) during the period under review.

    As per the latest TRAI quarterly Indicator Reports, the highest number of DTH subscribers in 2018 by private players were added in the Apr-Jun quarter with 18.4 lakh (1.84 million, 0.184 crore) subscriber additions. In the first quarter of CY 2018, the private DTH players lost 30,000 subscribers. Please refer to the figure below for the private DTH subscriber trends during CY-2018.

    Dish TV is by far the largest DTH player in the country and probably the second largest globally. As on 31 December 2018, Dish TV claimed a net active subscriber base of 236 lakh (23.6 million, 2.36 crore) while Airtel DTH claimed a net active subscriber base of 150 lakh (15 million, 1.5 crore).

    The government’s DD Free Dish DTH service claims to reach out to nearly 300 lakh (30 million) as per reports and the FICCI-EY 2019 report, it has the capability to breach the 50 million mark if broadcasters keep supplying it with pay-TV content. It must however be noted that an exact number for registered or active subscribers is not available since this is a free DTH service.

  • DTH platforms say NaMo TV a special service, content provided by BJP

    DTH platforms say NaMo TV a special service, content provided by BJP

    MUMBAI: Amid controversy surrounding NaMo TV, a channel exclusively featuring content related to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, sources within India’s top DTH operators have told Indiantelevision.com that it isn’t, in fact, a standard television channel. While a Tata Sky source said NaMo TV is a “special service with content provided by the BJP” a Dish TV spokesperson described it as an “ad sales-related service”.

    Earlier, a tweet from Tata Sky calling NaMo TV a "Hindi news service" raised several questions. However, that was soon clarified by the company.

    "NaMo TV is not a Hindi news service. If someone in the frontline at Tata Sky has tweeted or said that it is a news service, it is a mistake," Tata Sky CEO Harit Nagpal told NDTV.

    He also added that NaMo TV "does not fall into any genre" and special services do not need a licence.

    Earlier, the Election Commission had sought a report from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) on NaMo TV, which was launched on 31 March.

    Throughout the week, several media reports citing MIB sources said the channel was an advertising platform that didn’t need the ministry’ licence.

    The 24-hour channel borrows PM Modi’s image for its logo and is available on all the major DTH platforms in the country.

  • Bharti Airtel, Singtel eye stake in Dish TV: report

    Bharti Airtel, Singtel eye stake in Dish TV: report

    MUMBAI: Consolidation in the DTH sector is not yet over. As per a report by CNBC-TV18, Singapore Telecommunications Ltd (Singtel) and Bharti Airtel are jointly looking to buy a stake in Dish TV in a bid to compete with Reliance Jio.

    The duo is looking to acquire the promoter’s 60 per cent stake in Dish TV for around Rs 6150 crore. As part of Bharti Airtel’s plan to raise $4.6 billion, Singtel is likely to buy stock in it worth $525 million through shares and bonds.

    A Dish TV spokesperson said that the company “does not comment on market speculations.”

    GIC, the parent company of Singtel via Temasek Holdings, also owns about 20 per cent in Tata Sky and could hint at a future possibility of further consolidation in the DTH sector.

    Among private players, TRAI data for 2018 shows that Dish TV (along with Videocon d2h) together owns 37 per cent market share followed by Tata Sky with 27 per cent share and Airtel Digital TV with 23 per cent share, Sun Direct with 11 per cent and Reliance with 2 per cent. DD Free Dish, on the other hand, claims to have approximately 30 million subscribers as a public platform.

  • DD FreeDish e-auction: MPEG4 slots saw highest bid of Rs 57.1 lakh

    DD FreeDish e-auction: MPEG4 slots saw highest bid of Rs 57.1 lakh

    MUMBAI: The first annual e-auction for MPEG4 slots on Doordarshan’s FTA DTH platform FreeDish witnessed an intense competition that was held from 27 to 29 March. According to reports, the highest bid during the e-auction was Rs 57.1 lakh, a premium of almost 1150 per cent over the reserve price of Rs 5 lakh and the average bid was at Rs 44.17 lakh per slot.

    A total of 15 MPEG4 slots were successfully sold to channels across genres that will be available on the platform with effect from 15 April 2019.

    The public broadcaster stated that the response to the 39th e-auction was overwhelming, as almost four times applications were received against the vacant MPEG-4 slots. Also, there was no genre based restrictions or reservations for participating in the e-auction.

    Among the 15 channels, five of them are Hindi devotional channels including Aastha Bhajan, Arihant, Satsang, Subh TV and Vedic TV. Apart from that, only three are non-Hindi channels while the rest are Hindi channels. Three MPEG-4 slots have been reserved for public broadcasting purposes.

    Home Shop18 and NT1 have won slots in the teleshopping genre. Enter 10 Bangla, Oscar Bhojpuri, Sky Star Bangla, Sky Star Telugu and WoW Cinema One have bought the slots in the movie genre. In the news genre, ABP Ganga, Chardikala Time TV and Aryan TV National have won the slots.

    Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar had tweeted, “Happy to share that the first annual e-auction for MPEG-4 slots (39th e-auction) on DD Free Dish saw robust bidding with 15 successful slots sold to channels across genres and languages.”

    “The e-Auction saw slots being taken at an average price that was nearly 8 to 9 times the invitational price underscoring the high competition. With this overall projected annual revenue from DD Free Dish will cross 400 cr between MPEG2 and MPEG-4 slots,” he said.

  • DD Free Dish policy: New bucket created in MPEG2 slots for devotional genre

    DD Free Dish policy: New bucket created in MPEG2 slots for devotional genre

    MUMBAI: Public broadcaster Prasar Bharati has amended the DD Free Dish policy in a meeting held earlier this week. Under the amended policy, a new bucket has been created to reserve MPEG2 slots towards devotional channels. The reserve price of the bucket has been fixed at Rs 3 crore.

    “Consequently a new Bucket R1 has been created to reserve MPEG2 slots towards devotional/spiritual/AYUSH channels which may be placed through the open eAuction process as laid down in the policy,” Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati said on Twitter.

    Spiritual channels including channels promoting Yoga, Ayurveda, Health & Wellness (AYUSH) based on traditional methods fall under the devotional category or bucket R1. Under amended policy, three slots have been reserved for genres deemed to be in public interest. The amended policy also says that placement of regional channels of Doordarshan that are currently not available on DTH/cable may be considered for placement on vacant MPEG2/MPEG4 slots reserved for the same.

    Vempati also revealed on Saturday the results of the first annual e-auction for MPEG4 slots on  FreeDish. After robust bidding, a total of 15 MPEG4 slots were successfully sold to channels across genres and languages.

  • DD Free Dish e-auction: 15 MPEG4 slots sold

    DD Free Dish e-auction: 15 MPEG4 slots sold

    MUMBAI: The first annual e-auction for MPEG4 slots on Doordarshan’s FTA DTH platform FreeDish, witnessed intense competition. After robust bidding, a total of 15 MPEG4 slots were successfully sold to channels across genres and languages.

    Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati said on Twitter that the slots were being taken at an average price that was nearly eight to nine times the invitational price. “With this overall projected annual revenue from DD Free Dish will cross 400 cr between MPEG2 and MPEG4 slots,” he added.

    Vempati added that the new line up of 15 channels will be published on Monday, subject to completion of procedural formalities. He also mentioned that three slots have been reserved for public broadcasting purposes.

    Earlier in February, 40 MPEG2 slots were successfully sold under revised guidelines after recommencement of e-auction. Vempati said that the estimated revenue from the sold slots is Rs 395 crore and added that the new channels will be on air from 1 March 2019.

    The Prasar Bharati Board gave a green signal to e-auctioning of DTH slots on DD FreeDish in January. The e-auctioning was arbitrarily called off in October 2017. Earlier, FreeDish would conduct the e-auction every couple of months to award vacant channel slots to private broadcasters. The last e-auction was held In July 2017.

    While revealing the new policy guidelines, Vempati had said a key consideration factored in was to increase the diversity of content available on FreeDish and to expand its reach across India, especially within the non-Hindi speaking states.