ITV

Category: DTH

  • Dish TV India’s consolidated net profit declines 64.47% in Q1 FY23

    Dish TV India’s consolidated net profit declines 64.47% in Q1 FY23

    Mumbai: Dish TV India on Wednesday announced their financial results for the first quarter of the financial year 2022–2023. The company’s reported net profit declined 64.47 per cent to Rs 17.85 crore in the quarter ended June 2022 as against Rs 50.24 crore during the previous quarter ended June 2021.

    Operating revenues for the quarter stood at Rs 608.6 crore. For the same period, the earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (Ebitda) was Rs 323.8 crore with a margin of 53.2 percent and profit after tax was Rs 17.8 crore.

    In the quarter ended June 2022, sales fell 16.74 per cent to Rs 608.63 crore, compared to Rs 730.97 crore in the previous quarter ended June 2021.

    The company paid-off Rs 90.3 crore of debt during the quarter, thus reducing its overall debt to Rs 285.3 crore at the end of the first quarter of 2023 as compared to Rs 375.6 crore at the close of fiscal 2022.

    The first quarter of the current fiscal, to some extent, was an extension of the fourth quarter of the previous fiscal. Not only did inflation-linked cautiousness in viewers remain intact, the changing landscape of the entertainment industry continued to influence subscriber retention and growth.

    Dish TV chose the middle path and maintained a moderate pace of capital expenditure while prioritising debt repayment over new acquisitions.

    External factors dominated and impacted the recharge behaviour of DTH subscribers, with top-end consumers swapping between DTH and streaming content and bottom-end subscribers alternating between free-to-air and pay DTH, thus affecting revenues and net base.

    With a growing number of subscribers having access to OTT subscriptions, India’s streaming video market is expected to garner a revenue of Rs. 490 billion by 2027, up from Rs. 210 billion in 2022, according to the latest industry report.

    Speaking about the results, Dish TV India Group CEO Anil Dua said, “In the changing industry landscape, Dish TV is committed to exploring and embracing new possibilities that would enable it to offer a more contemporary and bespoke service bouquet. As an entertainment distribution company, we would want to be a one-stop destination for viewers seeking video content and continue working towards that objective.”

    Dish TV India chairman Jawahar Goel commented, “The company has been actively pursuing relevant technological developments in the business space and looks forward to aligning with those that will help it achieve its strategic and commercial goals.”

    “As an industry, we also continue to seek and hope for a level playing field in the distribution space, by way of uniform application of licence fees to either all players or to none of them, as Free DTH, Headend in the Sky (HITS), OTT and cable TV still remain outside the ambit of licence fees,” added Goel.

  • Dish TV appoints Rakesh Mohan as non- executive independent director

    Dish TV appoints Rakesh Mohan as non- executive independent director

    Mumbai: DTH operator Dish TV has announced that the board of directors at their meeting held on Friday, i.e. 29 July, 2022 has inter-alia, upon receipt of requisite approval from the ministry of information and broadcasting and on the recommendation of the nomination and remuneration committee, approved the appointment of Rakesh Mohan as a non-executive independent director. The appointment has come into effect from 29 July, 2022 and is for a term of five consecutive years.

    The appointment is subject to the approval of the shareholders of the company.

    Mohan is a retired senior bureaucrat. He joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1978. He has held various positions in his long professional career. To mention a few, he worked as deputy collector in Goa; deputy commissioner and then secretary to the governor in Arunachal Pradesh; additional general manager in the erstwhile DESU, Government of Delhi; and principal secretary in the public works department in the government of Delhi. For five years, he was an additional commissioner in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, and he worked for the government of India in the ministries of energy (department of power) and commerce. In addition, he was also a joint secretary in the government of India’s ministry of information and broadcasting. He was principal secretary (education) in the Delhi Administration. After his retirement, he devoted his time to serving as a volunteer at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Delhi Branch.

  • Pay DTH operators lost 1.6 mn subscribers in quarter ended 31 March 2022: TRAI

    Pay DTH operators lost 1.6 mn subscribers in quarter ended 31 March 2022: TRAI

    Mumbai: The number of pay direct-to-home (DTH) subscribers decreased sharply from 68.52 million to 66.92 million in the quarter ended on 31 March 2022, as per latest Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) performance indicator report. It has lost a total of 1.6 million subscribers during the period.

    DTH operators have seen a consistent decline in their subscribers since reporting an all-time high of 70.99 million subscribers in December 2022.

    Also read: DTH segment expands its subscriber base by 1.01 mn in 2020 | Indian Television Dot Com

    The number of private satellite TV channels permitted by the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) for uplinking or downlinking also decreased from 909 to 898 channels. Broadcasters reported 345 pay channels down from 350 pay channels in the quarter ended on 31 December 2021. The number of free-to-air (FTA) channels also declined from 543 to 540 during the same period.

    Tata Play continued to be the leading DTH operator with 33.23 per cent market share down from 33.48 per cent in the previous quarter. Bharat Telemedia’s share stood at 26.24 per cent down from 26.37 per cent.

    Also Read: Geo-targeted campaigns ramp up as brands go hyperlocal

    Dish TV India increased its market share from 22.04 per cent to 22.10 per cent. Sun Direct also increased its market share from 18.11 per cent to 18.43 per cent.

    [[{“fid”:”1087009″,”view_mode”:”default”,”fields”:{“format”:”default”,”alignment”:””,”field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]”:false,”field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]”:false},”type”:”media”,”field_deltas”:{“1”:{“format”:”default”,”alignment”:””,”field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]”:false,”field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]”:false}},”attributes”:{“height”:”416″,”width”:”700″,”class”:”media-element file-default”,”data-delta”:”1″}}]]

    As per the ministry, there are 1764 registered multi-system operators (MSOs) in the country.

    There are 12 MSOs and 1 headend-in-the-sky (HITS) operator whose subscriber base is more than one million, according to the TRAI data.

    GTPL Hathway widened its lead as the largest MSO in the January-February-March 2022 quarter with 8,232,240 subscribers followed by SITI Networks at 7,281,041, Hathway Digital at 5,455,919 and Hathway Digital 4,458,103 subscribers.

    [[{“fid”:”1087019″,”view_mode”:”default”,”fields”:{“format”:”default”,”alignment”:””,”field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]”:false,”field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]”:false},”type”:”media”,”field_deltas”:{“2”:{“format”:”default”,”alignment”:””,”field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]”:false,”field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]”:false}},”attributes”:{“height”:”444″,”width”:”700″,”class”:”media-element file-default”,”data-delta”:”2″}}]]

    There were 20 internet protocol TV operators in the country as of 31 March 2022.

     

  • ‘Demand-driven’ communication satellite GSAT-24 launched; capacity leased to Tata Play

    ‘Demand-driven’ communication satellite GSAT-24 launched; capacity leased to Tata Play

    Mumbai: NewSpace India (NSIL) on Thursday successfully launched GSAT-24 in its first “demand-driven” communication satellite mission post space sector reforms, leasing the entire capacity on board to direct-to-home (DTH) service Tata Play, as per a news agency report.

    The 24 Ku-band communication satellite was built by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for NSIL. It will provide pan-India coverage to meet DTH application needs, stated the report.

    The satellite was launched by French company Arianespace in French Guiana (South America).

    As part of the space reforms announced by the government in June 2020, NSIL incorporated in March 2019, was mandated to undertake operational satellite missions on a “demand-driven” model, wherein it had the responsibility to build, launch, own and operate satellites and provide services to its committed customer.

    GSAT-24 is configured on ISRO’s proven I-3k Bus with a mission life of 15 years.

    “Demand-driven” mode basically means when a satellite is launched, one will know who the end customers are going to be and what’s the kind of utilisation and commitment so that you have very effective utilisation of this satellite capacity once it goes into orbit,” the news report said qouting an NSIL official.

    “Earlier the mode was supply driven, with capacity being leased after the launch with largely no firm commitment by customers beforehand,” the official added.

    “The entire mission including satellite, satellite launch, launch campaign, insurance, in-orbit maintenance, transformation and support is fully funded by NSIL. Once the satellite is in orbit it will be fully funded and owned by NSIL,” NSIL chairman & managing director Radhakrishnan Durairaj also opined in the report.

    Post the successful launch of GSAT-24, NSIL would own and operate 11 communication satellites in-orbit and meet the bulk of the communication needs of the country.

    NSIL is the commercial arm of ISRO and a public sector undertaking by the Government of India.

  • Tata Play announces entry into home security solutions

    Tata Play announces entry into home security solutions

    Mumbai: Tata Play on Thursday announced its entry into home security solutions with the launch of two products Tata Play Secure and Tata Play Secure+.

    Tata Play is collaborating with Google to bring to India the Google Nest security camera for its subscribers via Tata Play Secure+. Tata Play Secure+ is a bundled service that includes battery-powered Google Nest Cam, an annual Nest Aware subscription and a Google Nest Mini.

    In the first phase of its launch, the offering will be available for Tata Play subscribers in 10+ cities including Mumbai + Navi Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Delhi + NCR, Lucknow, and Jaipur.

    “With the launch of Tata Play Secure and Tata Play Secure+, we aim to help our subscribers build a safe and secure ecosystem, be it home or workplace,” said Tata Play chief commercial and content officer Pallavi Puri. “This new offering is in line with our endeavour to provide experiences beyond entertainment. We are happy to partner with Google for the Tata Play Secure+ offering to bring to India a truly state-of-the-art home security experience.”

    “We are thrilled to collaborate with Tata Play to bring to India our new-generation Nest Cam and Nest Aware service,” said Google head of hardware business development India and South Asia. “These deliver a great experience thanks to our deep innovations in on-device machine learning, an intuitive user experience, and the highest level of privacy and security that gives people complete control over the information they share. With features like the ability to detect people, animals, and vehicles, the ability to be used indoor and outdoor, HDR, two-way communication and more, we can’t wait for people to experience enhanced smart security.”

  • Dish TV India reports operating revenue of Rs 2802.5 crore for FY22

    Dish TV India reports operating revenue of Rs 2802.5 crore for FY22

    Mumbai: Dish TV India has reported its results for the fourth quarter and the financial year ended on 31 March 2022. The company reported operating revenue of Rs 2,802.5 crore for the financial year and Rs 642.7 crore for the fourth quarter.

    Subscription revenues stood at Rs 2,531.1 crore for the year and Rs 574.8 crore for the quarter. Profit before exceptional items and tax stood at Rs 272.7 crore for the year and Rs 41.8 crore for the quarter.

    The exceptional items for the quarter and fiscal year 2021-2022 include Rs 203.0 crore as an impairment charge on intangible assets under development and related advances Rs 1,616.9 crore and Rs 717.7 crore respectively, as an impairment charge on the goodwill and intangible assets acquired from Videocon d2h in 2017-18 and Rs 116.3 crore recognised as foreign exchange fluctuation loss due to the ongoing economic crisis in Sri Lanka.

    The company continued to deleverage its balance sheet for the fourth year in a row and paid off Rs 434.3 crore during the year thus reducing its overall debt to Rs 375.6 crore at the end of fiscal 2022 as compared to fiscal 2021, which was at Rs 809.9 crore.

    The company reported a loss after including exceptional items and tax of Rs 1,867.23 crore for the year and Rs 2,031.99 crore for the quarter.

    Management analysis

    As per the management analysis, the fourth quarter and fiscal 2022 saw the expansion of the viewers’ slate of content. The company offers over 850 plus channels in the linear space and 40 odd big & small OTT platforms offering movies, TV shows and web series. The time spent watching content per user per day went up to 4.5 hours compared to 3.6 hours in 2018.

    Businesses across sectors in distribution or content are facing reducing customer stickiness, falling subscriber numbers and a perpetual capex (capital expenditure) cycle.

    The direct-to-home (DTH) industry in India has been running the capital expenditure treadmill to increase the number of paying subscribers but, competition from streaming platforms, free-to-air government-run distribution platforms, telcos, cable TV and intermittent undercutting within the industry itself, has been either churning subscribers or intensifying capex or both, said the statement.

    Dish TV India recorded 3.4 per cent higher new additions during the year but remained vulnerable to shifting viewing habits which continued to influence the recharge behaviour of its subscribers. The quarter also witnessed lingering effects of the pandemic related weakness in consumer sentiment with global geo-political developments and resultant inflationary spikes worsening buyer confidence. High churn resulted in a net reduction in the subscriber base during the quarter.

    Dish TV India group CEO and executive director Anil Dua said, “Pay-TV consumer sentiment has been oscillating between indulging in content to sometimes being frugal with it. Consumers have been choosier than ever, often moving between linear and streaming content, as a result renewing their subscriptions less regularly. Dish TV values customers’ changing tastes and preferences and is working towards adapting to and leveraging these emerging trends.”

    Dish TV India’s OTT platform Watcho crossed the 50 million downloads mark at the end of the quarter increasing its presence by 25 million during the year.

    “These are challenging yet exciting times and we are reviewing everything that has existed for years. We are actively looking beyond our contemporary offerings of hybrid boxes and OTT platform Watcho, and are working towards new ways to serve our valued subscribers, both existing as well as new,” he added.

    Dish TV India chairman and managing director Jawaher Goel said, “Competition is always good for the growth of any industry, what is important though is that there should be a level playing field. Pay channel procurement which is subject to strict regulations for the pay-TV sector is under forbearance when it comes to broadcaster owned channels being streamed on their own OTT platforms. This is despite cross-holding restrictions that prevent broadcasters from getting into distribution. Moreover, within pay-TV, DTH is the only business which is subject to a license fee payable to the government. As we work towards keeping up with the times, we also hope that a common licensing regime and forbearance over excessive regulation will be the norm going forward.”

  • HITS launches on Airtel Digital TV

    HITS launches on Airtel Digital TV

    Mumbai: Airtel Digital TV is ready to enthrall its subscribers yet again with the launch of its new service – Airtel HITS HD.

    HITS brings the iconic series all set to launch on Airtel Digital TV on 20 May 2022.

    Featuring a selection of some of the most popular, iconic, and award-winning Hollywood television content from the 60s to the early 2000’s, the channel is sure to take you on a lovely trip down memory lane. Airtel digital TV subscribers can now enjoy a window to the best content ever produced for television in HD like Diff’rent Strokes, Bewitched, Charmed, Bonanza, The Lucy Show, Baywatch, The Bionic Woman, Sherlock Holmes, among many others. These award-winning titles are sure to appeal to both those who remember the Golden Age of Hollywood and modern audiences.

    Airtel Digital TV CEO Manu Sood said, “At Airtel we are always looking at serving the discerning content needs of our subscribers. With Airtel HITS HD we are giving our subscribers a platform to indulge in their favourite Hollywood shows from the 60s to the early 2000’s. The diverse assortment of English shows from the good old days fulfills a need gap for our evolving viewers who are constantly looking for unique entertainment destinations that are not available elsewhere be it TV or OTT.”

    Rewind Networks CEO Avi Himatsinghani said, “We are thrilled to associate with Airtel Digital TV to bring Airtel HITS HD to their subscribers in India. Airtel viewers can now tune in to enjoy the finest curation of the most popular, iconic, and award-winning Hollywood television content from the past in high definition! I am certain our hand-picked selection will make the viewers reminisce over their favourite TV shows, making Airtel HITS HD a perfect destination for family viewing and entertainment. We look forward to the partnership!”

    HITS features a carefully curated collection of top TV dramas and sitcoms from Hollywood and UK majors such as The Walt Disney Company, ITV Studios, Paramount, NBCUniversal, Fremantle and Sony Pictures, and will progressively introduce more titles from other studios.

    The channel shall be available free for the first 10 days followed by Rs 75 per month. Airtel HITS HD will be available on Channel 167 on Airtel Digital TV and will be aired in high definition (HD) with English subtitles.

  • DTH players seek removal of eight per cent licence fee to stay competitive

    DTH players seek removal of eight per cent licence fee to stay competitive

    Mumbai: Direct-to-home (DTH) players have approached the government to waive the eight per cent license fee imposed on them that is in line with a similar proposal for broadband services so that they remain competitive in the market.

    According to a PTI report, the industry body DTH association has approached the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) following a proposal under consideration of Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to waive the licence fee for broadband services.

    In a letter dated 11 May sent to the I&B ministry, the industry body said the DTH volumes have been declining quarter on quarter for a while now and has put thousands of crores of investments and employment of over a lakh direct and indirect employees of the sector at risk.

    The number of active subscribers with pay DTH operators decreased from 69.86 million at the end of June to 68.89 million by the end of September, according to latest Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) data.

    It added that broadband is expanding very fast and is being used for content distribution as well.

    The industry body welcomed the proposal to remove licence fees to help the consumers but requested that “the same policy may be applicable to DTH, and therefore seek a waiver of licence fees in line with DoT proposed decision.”

    The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has recommended the DoT to waive license fees on broadband services for five years.

    “Now with the licence fee being waived for broadband, hence IPTV, OTT will become an even more formidable force and DTH will remain the only distribution platform paying an eight per cent content license fee while distributing just as cable, HITS, FreeDish, and IPTV do, making DTH the most uncompetitive in comparison to every other content distribution platform,” the association said.

  • DTH sector lost 0.37 mn subs in the quarter ended 31 Dec’21: Trai

    DTH sector lost 0.37 mn subs in the quarter ended 31 Dec’21: Trai

    Mumbai: The total active subscriber base of the pay direct-to-home (DTH) sector declined from 68.89 million at the end of September 2021 to 68.52 million at the end of December 2021, as per data provided by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai). This is in addition to the subscribers of DD Free Dish, the free DTH service offered by Doordarshan.

    Tata Play maintained its position as the leading DTH player increasing its market share from 33.34 per cent to 33.48 per cent. It was followed by Bharti Telemedia that also increased its market share from 26.11 per cent to 26.37 per cent. Dish TV India ceded market share from 22.65 per cent to 22.04 per cent. Sun TV Direct gained market share from 17.91 per cent to 18.11 per cent.

    Trai reported the subscriber base of 12 major multi-system operators (MSO) and one headend-in-the-sky (HITS) operator who have a subscriber base of more than one million. GTPL Hathway continued to be the leading MSO followed by Siti Networks, Hathway Digital, Den Networks and Thamizhaga Cable TV Communication. While most MSOs lost subscribers during the quarter, Thamizhaga, Kerala Communicators Cable, Nxt Digital (HITS), V K Digital Network and Nxt Digital (Cable TV) gained subscribers. Notably, Nxt Digital (HITS and Cable TV) gained the highest number of subscribers at 436,990.

    [[{“fid”:”1074109″,”view_mode”:”default”,”fields”:{“format”:”default”,”alignment”:””,”field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]”:false,”field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]”:false},”type”:”media”,”field_deltas”:{“1”:{“format”:”default”,”alignment”:””,”field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]”:false,”field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]”:false}},”attributes”:{“height”:”517″,”width”:”700″,”class”:”media-element file-default”,”data-delta”:”1″}}]]

    There were 909 private satellite TV channels at the end of December 2021 compared to 906 channels at the end of September 2021. Additionally, there were 350 pay channels out of which 253 were SD channels and 97 were HD channels.

    The number of internet subscribers decreased from 834.29 million to 829.30 million during the quarter. There were 792.08 million broadband subscribers and 37.21 million narrowband subscribers. The number of wired internet subscribers increased from 24.47 million to 26.58 million with a quarterly growth rate of 8.62 per cent. The number of wireless internet subscribers decreased from 809.82 million to 802.72 million.

    [[{“fid”:”1074119″,”view_mode”:”default”,”fields”:{“format”:”default”,”alignment”:””,”field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]”:false,”field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]”:false},”type”:”media”,”field_deltas”:{“2”:{“format”:”default”,”alignment”:””,”field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]”:false,”field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]”:false}},”attributes”:{“height”:”500″,”width”:”700″,”class”:”media-element file-default”,”data-delta”:”2″}}]]

    In the wired internet segment, Reliance Jio Infocomm held 17.18 per cent market share with 4.57 million subscribers, followed by Bharti Airtel at 4.20 million subscribers. In the wireless internet segment, Reliance Jio held 51.79 per cent market share with 415.72 million subscribers followed by Bharti Airtel with 28.21 per cent with 226.45 million subscribers at the end of the quarter.

    The total number of VSAT subscribers decreased from 289,557 to 288,848 during the quarter. Hughes Communications is the market leader with 135,374 subscribers and market share of 46.87 per cent, followed by Nelco at 76,166 subscribers and market share of 26.37 per cent at the end of the quarter.

    The average revenue per user (ARPU) per month of wireless services customers increased from Rs 108.16 to Rs 114.16 over the quarter. The average data usage per month for a wireless subscriber was 14.97 Gb.

  • MIB to distribute 1.5 lakh Free Dish in remote areas of J&K

    MIB to distribute 1.5 lakh Free Dish in remote areas of J&K

    Mumbai: The government will distribute 1.5 lakh free dish in far-flung areas of Jammu and Kashmir, the ministry of information and broadcasting secretary Apurva Chandra said on Tuesday during a visit to Kangan Sub Division of J&K to assess the outreach of DD Free Dish in the area.

    The free dish services are proposed in the areas where cable services are unavailable, the government said. The government said that the tendering is under process and will be completed soon.

    The union secretary was accompanied by All India Radio principal director general (news) N. V. Reddy; Doordarshan director general Mayank Agarwal; Press Information Bureau Srinagar additional director general Rajinder Chaudhry, News DDK Srinagar deputy director Qazi Salman and the officers of the district administration.

    Chandra highlighted the importance of providing free-of-cost services to the masses. He said that the service is being distributed in remote areas of Kashmir and its ambit will be increased in the times to come. 

    Chandra also commended Doordarshan Kendra Srinagar for “aptly representing the local culture and traditions through its programmes reaching the people with authentic information.”

    The I&B Secretary also interacted with locals using DD Free Dish at Margund Kangan who shared their feedback about the programmes available on various channels, especially DD Kashir.

    “The scheme will help in keeping the people updated about different developmental initiatives and also inform them about the local as well as national events of importance,” stated a local Abdul Rashid Sheikh.

    DD Free Dish is owned and operated by public service broadcaster Prasar Bharati. It was launched in December 2003 and reaches 43 million households across the country.