ITV

Category: DTH

  • Q3-2016: Videocon d2h YoY revenue up 22% on subscriber additions, higher ARPU

    Q3-2016: Videocon d2h YoY revenue up 22% on subscriber additions, higher ARPU

    BENGALURU: Videocon d2h Limited reported 14.8 per cent YoY increase in net subscriber additions and 8.2 per cent YoY growth in ARPU for the quarter ended 31 December, 2015 (Q3-2016, current quarter). The company’s revenue from operations (TIO) increased 21.6 per cent YoY to Rs 731.49 crore in Q3-2016 as compared to Rs 601.53 crore. Subscriber addition brings in higher activation revenue.

     

    The company achieved strong subscription and activation YoY revenue growth of 26 per cent at Rs 665 crore as compared to Rs 527.9 crore in the corresponding year ago quarter.

     

    Videocon d2h added 6.7 lakh gross subscribers and 4.3 lakh net subscribers during the quarter. Gross subscribers totalled 149.5 lakh and net subscribers totalled 112.7 lakh as of 31 December, 2015. The company says that monthly churn came in at 0.73 per cent for the quarter and 0.80 per cent for the nine months ending 31 December, 2015, which was marginally ahead of the company guidance.

     

    Note: 100,00,000 = 100 lakh = 10 million = 1 crore.

     

    Average revenue per user (ARPU) in Q3-2016 increased 8.2 per cent to Rs 211 as compared to Rs 195 in Q3-2015 and increased 2.9 per cent as compared to Rs 205 in Q2-2016.

     

    Videocon d2h reported 42.2 per cent YoY growth in adjusted EBITDA at Rs 201 crore for Q3- 2016 compared to Rs 141 crore in the corresponding year ago quarter. Net loss for the quarter declined to Rs 22.05 crore as compared to the net loss of Rs 79.8 crore in Q3-2015.

     

    Videocon d2h executive chairman Saurabh Dhoot said, “I am delighted the company reported EBITDA growth of over 42 per cent in the quarter compared to last year. This is a result of strong subscriber and ARPU growth and our continued focus on margin improvement, in line with our expectations. We believe we are amongst the fastest growing media companies in the world delivering exceptional performance quarter after quarter. During the quarter, we continued to strengthen our content offering and added new channels on our platform. We recently added two transponders ahead of schedule. This further strengthens our content offering, which is one of our key competitive advantages. With this additional bandwidth we will continue to add more regional and HD channels to our platform in times to come.”

     

    Speaking on the Phase III digitisation implementation, Videocon d2h CEO Anil Khera said, “Phase III digitisation has begun. The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting maintained their deadline and instructed broadcasters to switch off analogue signals in Phase III digitisation areas. In the first few days of January 2016, we saw strong pick up in subscriber additions in cities that come under Phase III digitisation. Recently, a few state high courts issued a stay order on implementation of Phase III digitisation for one – three months. This was in line with our expectations of the digitisation being a staggered process.”

     

    “We estimate around 50 million television homes come under Phase III digitisation, of which 24-25 million television homes are already on the digital platform. Thus, the target market under Phase III digitisation is the remaining 25-26 million television homes that are currently on analog cable,” he added.

  • Sony Pal, Manoranjan Movies bag slots on DD Freedish for Rs 13.1 crore

    Sony Pal, Manoranjan Movies bag slots on DD Freedish for Rs 13.1 crore

    NEW DELHI: Doordarshan earned Rs 13.1 crore from the auction of two channels to fill vacancies in the total of 64 channels on its free-to-air DTH platform Freedish.

     

    Although the reserve price for the 25th online auction was Rs 4.3 crore, Sony Pal won a slot for Rs 7.6 crore while Manoranjan Movies got it for Rs 5.5 crore.

     

    Doordarshan had raised the reserve price in the 24th auction after several auctions with the price of Rs 3.7 crore per slot, though Indiantelevision.com had learnt that the bid amount went up to Rs 4.7 crore in earlier e-auctions.

     

    The reserve price in the 15th e-auction was Rs 3 crore and was raised to Rs 3.7 crore in the 16th auction.

     

    Sources also told Indiantelevision.com that Freedish will be encrypted shortly from Mpeg2 to Mpeg4 to keep a tab on the number of subscribers, but it would remain free-to-air. This will also enable it to reach 112 channels by the end of March.

     

    Currently, Freedish has slots for 64 channels including its own channels as well as Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha TV.

  • Sony Pal, Manoranjan Movies bag slots on DD Freedish for Rs 13.1 crore

    Sony Pal, Manoranjan Movies bag slots on DD Freedish for Rs 13.1 crore

    NEW DELHI: Doordarshan earned Rs 13.1 crore from the auction of two channels to fill vacancies in the total of 64 channels on its free-to-air DTH platform Freedish.

     

    Although the reserve price for the 25th online auction was Rs 4.3 crore, Sony Pal won a slot for Rs 7.6 crore while Manoranjan Movies got it for Rs 5.5 crore.

     

    Doordarshan had raised the reserve price in the 24th auction after several auctions with the price of Rs 3.7 crore per slot, though Indiantelevision.com had learnt that the bid amount went up to Rs 4.7 crore in earlier e-auctions.

     

    The reserve price in the 15th e-auction was Rs 3 crore and was raised to Rs 3.7 crore in the 16th auction.

     

    Sources also told Indiantelevision.com that Freedish will be encrypted shortly from Mpeg2 to Mpeg4 to keep a tab on the number of subscribers, but it would remain free-to-air. This will also enable it to reach 112 channels by the end of March.

     

    Currently, Freedish has slots for 64 channels including its own channels as well as Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha TV.

  • DTH players capitalize on DAS phase III areas with aggressive campaigns

    DTH players capitalize on DAS phase III areas with aggressive campaigns

    MUMBAI/NEW DELHI: DTH players like Videocon d2h, DishTV et al have been shouting from rooftops about being DAS Phase III ready for a few months now. And since the DTH sector stands to benefit the most with the cable TV digitisation drive in India, most players have rolled out aggressive advertising campaigns to acquire more customers.

     

    While Videocon d2h expects Phase III to be 50 million TV households in terms of size, the scope for customer acquisition is vast.

     

    More so now with the ongoing High Court cases filed by various multi system operators (MSOs) and cable operators to extend the Digital Addressable System (DAS) Phase III implementation deadline, as many as five states have got temporary respite. With cable operators in several states facing shortage of set top boxes (STBs), the situation proves beneficial to DTH players in acquiring new subscribers in DAS Phase III.

     

    Dish TV, which is the oldest direct-to-home player in the country, has stepped up its campaign following the deadline of the Government for switching off analogue signals in all urban areas covered by DAS Phase III.

     

    In fact, the DTH player has been very upfront about their marketing strategy that capitalises on the confusion over digitisation in Phase III areas, as seen from their latest aggressive campaign titled Dish99. Targeting the Hindi speaking market, the catch phrase for this new campaign reads “Set-Top-Box Matlab DishTV” (Set-Top-Box Means DishTV).

     

     

    The TVC features popular TV actress Radhika Madan, who is a household name for daily soap watchers, addressing two housewives to tell them that their serials would be off air soon.

     

    When the panic-stricken women ask what they should do, she urges them to switch to Dish TV that offers service starting at just Rs 99 before their analogue signals are disrupted and they miss out on their daily entertainment.

     

    Explaining their current marketing strategy, Dish TV MD Jawahar Goel said, “DishTV’s advertising has always been very pro-active, but the ongoing campaign has been designed in view of the obvious shortage of set top boxes with cable operators. With the deadline of phase III of TV digitisation coming to a close, we aim to capitalise the huge captive user base that will eventually be on digital platform.”

     

    With this product, further, to augment the digitisation drive in Phase III, DishTV has introduced a 360 degree multi-media campaign spanning TV (across leading entertainment, sports and news channels), outdoor, radio, digital, online and direct marketing that leverages the power of popular TV celebrities. This DAS campaign features DishTV’s relatable faces to strike a chord amongst the audience and create awareness about TV digitisation among every household to shift from analog to digital platform,” added another DishTV spokesperson.

     

    Earlier Tata Sky too had rolled out a similar engaging campaign with Kangana Ranaut as its brand ambassador reaching out to people and telling them why they should switch to Tata Sky and enjoy paying for selective channels.

     

     

    However, Tata Sky points out that their campaign was not intentionally targeted to capitalise the digitisation situation.

     

    Tata Sky CEO and MD Harit Nagpal says, “We didn’t do any special campaign and the ads with Kangana Ranaut had commenced last year before the deadline. The ad simply says that if the viewer gives a missed call on the displayed number, Tata Sky will call back for installing their system. Thus, the viewer will save money as well as get the work done.”

     

    The campaign kick started earlier in June 2015, saw itself drawing several eyeballs from both consumers and industry experts by virtue of its casual and conversational style of narrative.

     

    On the other hand, sources share that Doordarshan’s free to air DTH service FreeDish has no plans to step up its publicity or marketing in view of the extension orders by High Courts of the DAS Phase III.

     

    “FreeDish was in a market that was different from the other DTH players as it was a free to air platform. DD generally publicised FreeDish only on its own channels and has no intention of any cross-channel promotion,” a source informs.

     

    It is undeniable that the current situation of DAS Phase III poses an opportunity for several DTH players to provide an easier alternative to consumers and bring them on board as subscribers while cable operators find a solid ground on the digitisation proceedings. What’s more, even as the government has announced 31 December, 2016 as the deadline for DAS Phase IV, it now remains to be seen how DTH players get even more aggressive on the marketing front as the year progresses.

  • DTH players capitalize on DAS phase III areas with aggressive campaigns

    DTH players capitalize on DAS phase III areas with aggressive campaigns

    MUMBAI/NEW DELHI: DTH players like Videocon d2h, DishTV et al have been shouting from rooftops about being DAS Phase III ready for a few months now. And since the DTH sector stands to benefit the most with the cable TV digitisation drive in India, most players have rolled out aggressive advertising campaigns to acquire more customers.

     

    While Videocon d2h expects Phase III to be 50 million TV households in terms of size, the scope for customer acquisition is vast.

     

    More so now with the ongoing High Court cases filed by various multi system operators (MSOs) and cable operators to extend the Digital Addressable System (DAS) Phase III implementation deadline, as many as five states have got temporary respite. With cable operators in several states facing shortage of set top boxes (STBs), the situation proves beneficial to DTH players in acquiring new subscribers in DAS Phase III.

     

    Dish TV, which is the oldest direct-to-home player in the country, has stepped up its campaign following the deadline of the Government for switching off analogue signals in all urban areas covered by DAS Phase III.

     

    In fact, the DTH player has been very upfront about their marketing strategy that capitalises on the confusion over digitisation in Phase III areas, as seen from their latest aggressive campaign titled Dish99. Targeting the Hindi speaking market, the catch phrase for this new campaign reads “Set-Top-Box Matlab DishTV” (Set-Top-Box Means DishTV).

     

     

    The TVC features popular TV actress Radhika Madan, who is a household name for daily soap watchers, addressing two housewives to tell them that their serials would be off air soon.

     

    When the panic-stricken women ask what they should do, she urges them to switch to Dish TV that offers service starting at just Rs 99 before their analogue signals are disrupted and they miss out on their daily entertainment.

     

    Explaining their current marketing strategy, Dish TV MD Jawahar Goel said, “DishTV’s advertising has always been very pro-active, but the ongoing campaign has been designed in view of the obvious shortage of set top boxes with cable operators. With the deadline of phase III of TV digitisation coming to a close, we aim to capitalise the huge captive user base that will eventually be on digital platform.”

     

    With this product, further, to augment the digitisation drive in Phase III, DishTV has introduced a 360 degree multi-media campaign spanning TV (across leading entertainment, sports and news channels), outdoor, radio, digital, online and direct marketing that leverages the power of popular TV celebrities. This DAS campaign features DishTV’s relatable faces to strike a chord amongst the audience and create awareness about TV digitisation among every household to shift from analog to digital platform,” added another DishTV spokesperson.

     

    Earlier Tata Sky too had rolled out a similar engaging campaign with Kangana Ranaut as its brand ambassador reaching out to people and telling them why they should switch to Tata Sky and enjoy paying for selective channels.

     

     

    However, Tata Sky points out that their campaign was not intentionally targeted to capitalise the digitisation situation.

     

    Tata Sky CEO and MD Harit Nagpal says, “We didn’t do any special campaign and the ads with Kangana Ranaut had commenced last year before the deadline. The ad simply says that if the viewer gives a missed call on the displayed number, Tata Sky will call back for installing their system. Thus, the viewer will save money as well as get the work done.”

     

    The campaign kick started earlier in June 2015, saw itself drawing several eyeballs from both consumers and industry experts by virtue of its casual and conversational style of narrative.

     

    On the other hand, sources share that Doordarshan’s free to air DTH service FreeDish has no plans to step up its publicity or marketing in view of the extension orders by High Courts of the DAS Phase III.

     

    “FreeDish was in a market that was different from the other DTH players as it was a free to air platform. DD generally publicised FreeDish only on its own channels and has no intention of any cross-channel promotion,” a source informs.

     

    It is undeniable that the current situation of DAS Phase III poses an opportunity for several DTH players to provide an easier alternative to consumers and bring them on board as subscribers while cable operators find a solid ground on the digitisation proceedings. What’s more, even as the government has announced 31 December, 2016 as the deadline for DAS Phase IV, it now remains to be seen how DTH players get even more aggressive on the marketing front as the year progresses.

  • DishTV’s HD offering touches 50 with Sony ESPN HD

    DishTV’s HD offering touches 50 with Sony ESPN HD

    MUMBAI: Direct to home (DTH) operator DishTV has taken its High Definition (HD) channels’ offering to 50 with the addition of the newly launched sports channel Sony ESPN HD. Incidentally, this is also the highest HD offering by a DTH player in the country. 

    DishTV India CEO Arun Kapoor said, “DishTV has always taken a lead in enhancing the TV viewing experience for our audience. To further add spruce to the sports lovers this sporting season, Dish TV has added Sony ESPN HD to its bouquet of channels. The company not only has the first mover advantage in the DTH category and also will be accredited with the highest number of HD channels across the industry with a whopping 50 HD channels. Our endeavour is to increase affinity with our audiences by providing them the choice of content they would like to watch. Latest trends suggest that the growth of the High Definition category over the past year together with rising sales of flat panel TV’s (LED/LCD) has added a new dimension to the superior HD viewing experience.”

     

    The Sony ESPN HD channel kicked off its sporting calendar with the live broadcast of the first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open. 
     

    DishTV subscribers can watch Sony ESPN HD at channel no 87.

  • DD Freedish sets reserve price of Rs 4.3 crore for 25th e-auction

    DD Freedish sets reserve price of Rs 4.3 crore for 25th e-auction

    NEW DELHI: After several auctions, Doordarshan has raised its reserve price to Rs 4.3 crore for the 25th e-auction for its free-to-air DTH platform Freedish. The auction will be held on 18 January in an attempt to touch the target of 112 television channels in the next few months.
     
    Doordarshan had until now set a reserve price of Rs 3.7 crore per slot (as in the last few auctions) for the online e-auction, though Indiantelevision.com had learnt that the bid amount went up to Rs 4.7 crore in earlier e-auctions. The reserve price in the 15th e-auction was Rs 3 crore and was raised to Rs 3.7 crore in the 16th auction.
     
    DD sources refused to divulge the number of slots being auctioned to prevent bidders forming consortia to bid or resort to other malpractices.
     
    These sources told this website that Freedish will be encrypted shortly from Mpeg2 to Mpeg4 to keep a tab on the number of subscribers, but it would remain free-to-air.
     
    The e-Auction will be conducted by C1 India, Noida which also conducted the first stage of the FM Radio Phase III auctions on behalf of Prasar Bharati.   
     
    Currently, Freedish has 64 channels including its own channels, and Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha TV.
     
    The participation amount (EMD) in the e-auction is Rs 1.5 crore, which will be deposited in advance before or by 12 noon on 18 January along with processing fee of Rs 10,000 (Non-refundable) in favour of PB (BCI) Doordarshan Commercial Service, New Delhi.
     
    Incremental amount for the auction will be Rs 10 lakh and the time for every slot e-auction will be of fifteen minutes duration. This may be extended by five minutes if a bid is received before the closing time.
     
    Of the reserve price, Rs 1.1 crore will be deposited within one month of placement and another Rs 1.1 crore within two months along with service tax of 14.5 per cent on the bid amount.
     
     
    The balance bid amount will be deposited within six months, failing which the deposited amount will be forfeited and the channel discontinued after a 21-day discontinuation notice.
  • Tata Sky makes Everywhere TV free for viewers

    Tata Sky makes Everywhere TV free for viewers

    MUMBAI: The advent of the on-demand Internet streaming Netflix in India has no doubt created waves across the country. While Netflix is available free for a one-month trial it will then charge between Rs 500 – 800 for its three packages. In what can be termed as a direct reaction to this, direct to home (DTH) provider Tata Sky has declared its Everywhere TV service free for users.

     

    Tata Sky earlier charged users Rs 60 per month for the same service. Users can stream TV channels on the go through Everywhere TV on the official Tata Sky app. The service will feature channels subscribed by the viewers on the Tata Sky connection. 

     

    Everywhere TV provides access to live stream content from the channels and can also serve as a second screen. Viewers can also set the video quality on low, medium and high and the app runs smoothly on 3G and 4G networks. 

     

    The app can be accessed on up to two devices per subscriber ID. It also offers Hindi as well as English content including entertainment, news, sports, etc.

     

    While Tata Sky is the first DTH operator to react to Netflix’s entry into India by offering its streaming service free, it’s is definitely not going to be the last. How other DTH operators as well as over the top (OTT) players change or adapt their subscription and content strategy going forward will be worth watching.

  • Videocon d2h lines up new 4K UHD content across genres

    Videocon d2h lines up new 4K UHD content across genres

    MUMBAI: Direct to home (DTH) operator Videocon d2h has revamped its 4K content being shown on its 4K Ultra High Definition (UHD) channel – d2h Life 4K, which is India’s only 24 hours DTH channel service in 4K.

     

    D2h Life 4K will now offer a plethora of 4K UHD services and will telecast fresh new content spread across genres like movies, cricket, extreme sports, travel destinations, infotainment, nature, lifestyle, fitness and cooking amongst others.

     

    Videocon d2h has been revamping its 4K library for nearly a year to deliver a comprehensive collection of 4K entertainment. D2h Life 4K offers a unique combination of rich pictures with custom soundtracks. The programming is created to delight viewers every moment of the day. The channel will offer premium UHD movies exclusively on High 4K, premium Fashion Reality, premium Ultra HD Fights, from Extreme Amateur Fighting to Ultimate Power lifting Championships, music videos and intimate interviews from some of the top names in music today in 4K. High 4K will also take you into the kitchen of some of the world’s most famous chefs, open the doors to innovation of Automotive Technology in 4K, exciting lessons in 4K from a top fitness trainer.

     

    Videocon d2h executive chairman Saurabh Dhoot said, “Our focus is on creating the highest-quality consumer experience possible. We will be focusing on providing a variety of content as the demand for 4K Ultra HD content continues to increase and evolve. 4K content is the future and with this development we are completely geared up and future ready. Our new 4K UHD content is another way for our customers to enjoy stunning premium 4K content on our active 4K UHD channel 4K Life.”

     

    Videocon d2h CEO Anil Khera added, “We are committed to continuously enhancing our products that make consumers interaction with content a greater experience. Our goal is to provide premium experience of quality 4K UHD content across various genres. We would be offering Ultra HD movies, sports and various other programs that raise the bar on quality and innovation that customers have come to expect from Videocon d2h.”

  • DishTV ups HD channels offering to 49 with Max HD & Nick HD

    DishTV ups HD channels offering to 49 with Max HD & Nick HD

    MUMBAI: Direct to home (DTH) player DishTV has added two new High Definition (HD) channels namely Max HD and Nick HD to its portfolio, taking its total HD offering 49.

     

    DishTV India CEO Arun Kapoor said, “DishTV has always taken the lead in enhancing the value proposition and believes in providing the maximum and the best in entertainment to its subscribers. Our endeavour is to increase affinity with our audiences by providing them the choice of content they would like to watch. Latest trends suggest that the growth of the High Definition category over the past year together with rising sales of flat panel TVs (LED/LCD) has added a new dimension to the superior HD viewing experience. With the usage of DTH connections with HD boxes, the experience quotient for the subscribers is all set to go up.”

     

    “We are proud to announce addition of Max HD and Nick HD channels on our platform. DishTV has a complete offering and mix of High Definition entertainment, music, news and regional language channels and has maximum content with 49 HD channels, making it the highest in the country,” he added.