ITV

Category: DTH

  • Airtel Digital TV, Dish TV merger talks on

    Airtel Digital TV, Dish TV merger talks on

    MUMBAI: Sunil Bharti Mittal-led Bharti Airtel is not only scaling up its business in the broadband segment but is also trying to cement its presence in the DTH sector. Mittal has started talks with Dish TV to merge Airtel Digital TV with the leading DTH player.

    According to a report by Economic Times, the talks are now at an exploratory stage. The report also added quoting a source that the idea is to consolidate operations for facing the Jio onslaught. If the talk reaches a positive conclusion, the combined entity will be the world’s largest TV distribution company with over 38 million subscribers along with 61 per cent DTH market share in India.

    The consolidation in DTH space started with mega merger of Dish TV and Videocon d2h. Earlier, Airtel was in talks with another leading DTH player Tata Sky also but the parties could not reach any agreement.

    According to TRAI data, Dish TV combined with Videocon d2h leads with a 37 per cent market share as of September 2018 followed by Tata Sky’s 27 per cent and Airtel Digital TV stood with 24 per cent.

    In the third quarter, Dish TV had 23.6 million subscribers and it reported operating revenue of Rs 1,517.4 crore while Airtel Digital TV had 15 million subscribers with revenue of Rs 1,033 crore.  However, Airtel Digital TV’s ARPU was higher at Rs 231 compared to Dish TV’s ARPU of Rs 200.

  • Sun Direct introduces long duration regional packs

    Sun Direct introduces long duration regional packs

    MUMBAI: The popular DTH operator in South India, Sun Direct, has introduced long duration regional packs. According to reports, the newly introduced DPO packs come with a validity of up to six months covering languages Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Bengali and Odia.

    A three month long duration pack is also available with the six month variant. Subscribers can also avail a discount of about 7 to 10 per cent if they want to opt for these packs. Earlier, another leading DTH player Tata Sky launched Annual Flexi Pack with a recharge credit of one month.

    Before the new TRAI tariff regime came into effect, every DTH operator had long duration packs which had good demand among consumers. With the changes in pricing, the DTH players are now rolling out new packs to prevent churn rate.

  • Airtel Digital TV removes network capacity fee

    Airtel Digital TV removes network capacity fee

    MUMBAI: After Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) tariff order has come into effect, consumers across the country have been complaining about a hike in cable bill. To keep them satisfied, DTH operators are waving off Network Capacity Fee (NCF). Now, Airtel Digital TV has joined the league of operators who have removed the NCF on free-to-air (FTA) channels following Tata Sky, Dish TV and Sun Direct.

    Airtel Digital TV is waiving off NCF for its long term plans only. Subscribers under three months plan, six months plan, 12 months plan will be able to avail this facility. According to media reports, the modified long term plans are now available in selected regions and are expected to be expanded into other regions within a few weeks.

    As per the latest framework, customers need to pay Rs 130 to get the first 100 FTA channels. An additional network fee of Rs 20 per month is also being charged for every block of 25 paid channels.

    Last month, TRAI extended the deadline for DTH and cable TV subscribers to select their channels till 31 March under the new tariff regime. The regulatory body added that the subscribers’ old plan would continue till the consumer makes the choice. TRAI also said that the subscribers who don’t exercise any choice would be migrated to ‘Best Fit Plans’.

  • Tata Sky ShortsTV to premiere royal stag barrel select large short films

    Tata Sky ShortsTV to premiere royal stag barrel select large short films

    MUMBAI: Tata Sky ShortsTV will start showcasing the Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films (LSF) catalogue on its platform 9th March onwards. It marks the first time these shorts format films will be seen on TV along with mobile & laptop in India on Tata Sky.

    LSF has established itself as one of the leading online short film platforms in India with some of the most original and inspiring short stories made by Indian directors. These include some of the most watched and talked about shorts in the country, created by young and aspiring directors and featuring big stars.

    ShortsTV is the world’s first and only TV channel dedicated to short movies and is available in India exclusively on Tata Sky. Launched in India in November 2018, the service Tata Sky ShortsTV has about 600 hours of unique and captivating short format stories on a single platform and is available to subscribers 24X7 on their television, the Tata Sky Mobile App & their web version

    Commenting on the initiative, Mr. Carter Pilcher, Chief Executive of ShortsTV We are thrilled to partner with Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films. Large Short Films have ushered in a revolution in the short film industry in India, and it is the perfect partner for ShortsTV in India.  In the next 12 months, we will be showcasing amazing titles from short films by Royal Stag Barrel Select, bringing in a flood of India’s best shorts exclusively on”.

    Commenting on the partnership, Kartik Mohindra, Chief Marketing Officer, Pernod Ricard India, said “We are delighted to partner with ShortsTV, the world’s first and only 24/7 TV channel dedicated to short films. The short film industry has been growing dramatically owing to the changing viewer habits. Our platform Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films has been at the helm of the evolving short film industry and has now become the torchbearer for original, powerful and perfect content. This partnership is a great opportunity for us to reach out to a wider audience”

    The LSF catalogue to broadcast on Tata Sky ShortsTV includes acclaimed titles such as ‘Chutney’, starring Tisca Chopra and Rasika Dugal, ‘Juice’, starring Shefali Shah, and ‘Shunyata’, starring Jackie Shroff to name a few.

    In addition, the films will be accompanied by exclusive interviews with the filmmakers behind the shorts, offering Indian audiences a glimpse into the making of these celebrated short stories.

    The series will begin on 9th March at 9pm with ‘Juice’ and ‘White Shirt’ and will be followed by ‘The School Bag’ and ‘Ahyla’ at 9pm on 16th March. The rest of the catalogue and interviews will be broadcast in the same timeslot in the coming months.

  • Tata Sky appoints Anurag Kumar as chief communications officer

    Tata Sky appoints Anurag Kumar as chief communications officer

    MUMBAI: Tata Sky, India’s leading content distribution platform has announced the appointment of Anurag Kumar as its Chief CommunicationsOfficer. In his new role Anurag will lead Marketing and Communications initiatives for Tata Sky for its products and services across all its platforms. 

    As a part of this portfolio, Anurag will be responsible for developing and monitoring traditional & new age marketing and communication strategies across Tata Sky platforms. 

    Anurag Kumar, Chief Communications Officer, Tata Sky,said:

    “India’s media & entertainment sector offers unrivalled growth opportunities. As an industry leader, Tata Sky is on a journey to connect millions of people across India to the best content on offer. As a new member of this journey, I am excited to be able to leverage the art and science of marketing to talk to our current and future customers in a relevant, distinctive and meaningful way.”

    Prior to Tata Sky, Anurag was Global Brand Vice Presidentwith Unilever in London. At Unilever he ledbrand strategy, innovation and communications globally for Unilever's Laundry businessfor brands such as Surf, Radiant & Skip. Anurag has 20+ years’ experience in both India and overseas.

  • DD Free Dish e-auction for vacant MPEG4 slots on 27 March

    DD Free Dish e-auction for vacant MPEG4 slots on 27 March

    MUMBAI: Doordarshan will conduct the 39th e-auction for filling up of vacant MPEG-4 slots of its FTA DTH platform Free Dish w.e.f 27 March 2019. Only satellite channels licensed by the Ministry of I&B would be allowed to participate in the e-auction.

    Bidding in the e-auction of vacant unreserved MPEG-4 slots will be for an initial period open to all genre (language) channels at an invitation reserve price of Rs 5 lakh.

    International public broadcasters licensed/registered by the Ministry of I&B can also participate in e-auction.

    “We request all those channels that could not bid for MPEG2 slots for various reasons to consider bidding for the MPEG4 slots,” Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati said.

    If required, Prasar Bharati/Doordarshan can extend e-auction to the next day or as the case may be.

    Recently the pubcaster sold 40 MPEG2 slots for Rs 395 crore.

    As shared by Prasar Bharati, the highest bid price in Bucket A+ was Rs 15.05 crore, while it was Rs 12.45 crore in Bucket A. Bucket B commanded a top bid of Rs10.95 crore. In Bucket C, which saw the toughest competition, the highest bid was Rs 8.95 crore. Bucket D saw a top bid of Rs 6.1 crore.

    After the e-auction, Vempati asserted that the language diversity on DD FreeDish has also seen an expansion with Marathi channels taking up slots.  He also added that nearly eight new channels have taken up space across various categories and genres in various languages.

  • DD Free Dish e-auction: Reserve price for MPEG4 slots fixed at Rs 5 lakh

    DD Free Dish e-auction: Reserve price for MPEG4 slots fixed at Rs 5 lakh

    MUMBAI: After recommencement of DD Free Dish e-auction, Prasar Bharati (PB) recently revealed the result where a total of 40 MPEG2 slots were successfully sold. Now, PB CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati has revealed that the reserve price for MPEG4 slots e-auction is Rs 5 lakh. He also added that the first e-auction for MPEG4 slots will be notified in a couple of days.

    “The reserve price for these MPEG4 slots is at a low invitational amount of merely Rs 5 lakh. We request all those channels that could not bid for MPEG2 slots for various reasons to consider bidding for the MPEG4 slots,” Vempati said on Twitter.

    PB CEO disclosed the same while addressing the issues raised by religious channels. Various media reports floated recently that the public broadcaster has decided to keep away from religious and devotional channels for DD Free Dish slots.  

    The reports said spiritual channels, including that of Baba Ramdev, have been seeking slots in the auctioning for quite some time. As it could open a floodgate of applicants, the broadcaster has decide to keep a safe distance.

    Vempati has taken a defensive stance saying that they have taken note of several petitions received. “Free Dish is a public platform where placement of channels happens through an open transparent e-auction process. It is the preorgative of individual channels whether to participate or not. If you feel strongly that certain channels should be on Free Dish then please write to them,” he commented.

    The new policy guideline had kept five buckets for e-auction of MPEG2 slots There is no specified bucket for spiritual or regional channels under new guidelines.

    Earlier on 15 February, the Prasar Bharati Board gave the green signal to e-auctioning of DTH slots on DD Free Dish. The e-auctioning of slots on DD Free Dish was arbitrarily called off in October 2017. Earlier, DD Free Dish 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.

  • DTH players eliminate network capacity fees on FTA channels

    DTH players eliminate network capacity fees on FTA channels

    MUMBAI: Major DTH players like Tata Sky, Dish TV and Sun Direct have removed the Network Capacity Fee (NCF) on free-to-air (FTA) channels above the required 100 channels, according to a report by Telecom Talk.

    Under TRAI’s new broadcast regulatory regime, the cable TV bill of users now has two components, the network capacity fee (NCF), which is Rs 130 for hundred channels and the cost of any paid channels or paid bouquets.

    Dish TV subscribers will be able to pick as many as 189 FTA channels, without paying any additional NCF — over and above the base pack charges of Rs 130 per month (excluding taxes). However, it hasn’t changed anything for the paid SD and HD channels.

    The operator now allows its subscribers to pick a range of FTA channels, without paying any additional NCF and has categorised all the available FTA channels into different packs, namely BST North with 189 channels, BST Hindi with 99 channels, BST Marathi and Gujarati with 84 channels, BST Bangla Odia with 83 channels, and BST DD Pack with 25 channels.

    Sun Direct’s website says it is offering a total of 140 channels in the back pack of Rs 130 + 18 per cent GST. The base pack also includes the 25 Doordarshan channels, which are mandatory for all cable/DTH operators to provide.

    Tata Sky is providing a limited number of channels for free beyond the designated 100.

    As per the latest framework by the Telecom and Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), customers need to pay Rs 130 to get the first 100 FTA channels. An additional network fee of Rs 20 per month is also being charged for every block of 25 paid channels.

  • DD Free Dish e-auction: Prasar Bharati nets Rs 395 cr from sale of 40 Free Dish DTH slots

    DD Free Dish e-auction: Prasar Bharati nets Rs 395 cr from sale of 40 Free Dish DTH slots

    MUMBAI: The first e-auction of Doordarshan’s FTA DTH platform, FreeDish, after recommencement witnessed intense competition. Under the revised guidelines, total of 40 MPEG2 slots were successfully sold.

    Prasar Bharati  CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati said that 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, subject to completion of formalities.

    After the e-auction Vempati asserted that the language diversity on DD FreeDish has also seen an expansion with Marathi channels taking up slots.He also added that nearly eight new channels have taken up space across various categories and genres in various languages.

    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.

    As shared by Prasar Bharati, the highest bid price in Bucket A+ was Rs 15.05 crore, in Bucket A it was Rs 12.45 crore and in Bucket B was Rs 10.95 crore. In Bucket C, which saw the toughest competition, the highest bid was Rs 8.95 crore. Bucket D saw a high of Rs 6.1 crore.

        

    The new policy guideline has kept five buckets for e-auction of MPEG2 slots . Bucket A+ has been kept for Hindi GECs and teleshopping channels with a reserve price of Rs 15 crore, and Bucket A has been dedicated for Hindi movie channels with a reserve price of Rs 12 crore.

    Hindi music, sports, and Bhojpuri GEC and movie come under Bucket B, which has a reserve price of Rs 10 crore. All news and current affairs TV channels in various languages fall under the category of  Bucket C, which had a reserve price of Rs 7 crore. Bucket D with lowest reserve price of Rs 6 crore comprises all other remaining genres/language channels.

    Earlier on 15 February 2019, the Prasar Bharati Board on gave a green signal to e-auctioning of DTH slots on DD FreeDish. 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.

  • Dish TV partners with Zoya Akhtar’s ‘Gully Boy’ to promote freedom of choice

    Dish TV partners with Zoya Akhtar’s ‘Gully Boy’ to promote freedom of choice

    MUMBAI: Dish TV India Limited, the world’s largest single-country DTH Company has entered into an in-film marketing association with Tiger Baby & Excel Entertainment’s forthcoming movie ‘Gully Boy’, starring Dish TV brand ambassador Ranveer Singh. Through Gully Boy, Dish TV is reiterating its commitment of giving its subscribers complete freedom of choice.

    Ahead of the release, DishTV has created a co-branded promo TVC featuring Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt. In the TVC, both the actors are seen talking about DishTV’sMeraApna Pack that allows subscribers to pick and choose channels of their choice. To further engage its customers, DishTV has also launched a Special Recharge Contest on its website. The highest online recharger of the day will stand a chance to win couple tickets to the movie and one lucky couple will get a chance to meet the movie star cast. 

    Commenting on the partnership, Mr. Sukhpreet Singh, Corporate Head- Marketing, DishTV said, “We are excited to be associated with ‘Gully Boy’ which is inspired by a real life story of a street rapper who wishes to follow his own path. This is the same belief for us at DishTV as we have truly empowered our subscribers to choose their own entertainment. Furthermore, who better to embody freedom and energy than our very own brand ambassador Ranveer Singh who is the lead actor of the movie.”