DTH

Videocon d2h reports maiden annual net profit

Published

9 years ago

May 30, 2017

BENGALURU: Videocon d2h Limited (Videocon d2h) led by executive chairman Saurabh Dhoot reported its maiden annual net profit for the year ended 31 March 2017 (FY-17, current year or fiscal). Notwithstanding the effects of demonetization, overall, the company reported growth across important matrices including subscription and activation revenue, subscriber numbers and operating profits. Annual ARPU, despite declining within fiscal 2017 was flat as compared to the previous year.

The company’s revenue from operations increased 7.6 percent to Rs 30,717.34 million in FY-17 from Rs 28,558.62 million in FY-16. The company’s consolidated profit after tax for the current year was Rs 304.42 million as compared to a loss of Rs 902.05 million in the previous year. Operating profit (adjusted EBIDTA, including other income) in the current year increased 27.1 percent in FY-17 to Rs 10,181 million. Adjusted EBIDTA less capex in FY-17 was Rs 3,932 million as compared to Rs 744 million in fiscal 2016.

Net subscriber additions in the year were 1.05 million. The company closed fiscal 2017 with a net subscriber base of 12.91 million. The company reported 0.80 percent churn, slightly higher than the churn of 0.73 percent reported in the previous year. Average revenue per user (ARPU) for the current year came at Rs 207, same as the previous year. ARPU numbers for the four quarters of fiscal 2017 – Q1-17, Q2-17, Q3-17 and Q4-17 were Rs 211,Rs 209, Rs 205 and Rs 196 respectively. Average net EBIDTA per user increased to Rs 69 in FY-17 from Rs 61 in FY-16.

Company speak

Dhoot said, “I am excited to share that Fiscal 2017 has been a yet another landmark year for Videocon d2h, as the Company achieved net profit and free cash flow breakeven. The Company reported 27.1 percent year on year growth in EBITDA, despite moderation due to Government of India’s demonetization policy during the November 2016, which also coincided with the seasonally stronger second half. More importantly, our Adjusted EBITDA per subscriber per month grew a healthy 13.0 percent year on year to INR 69. This clearly demonstrates the strength of our business and our ability to monetize the subscribers we added in Phase III and Phase IV Digitization markets.

During Fiscal 2017, we announced the scheme of amalgamation with Dish TV to create the fastest growing and the second largest pay TV company in the world, according to company estimates. We have now received the necessary approvals from the equity shareholders of Videocon d2h and the Competition Commission of India. The company has started working on an integration plan and has appointed Price Waterhouse Coopers, Deloitte and Aon Hewitt to work on post-merger integration along with the management of Videocon d2h and Dish TV India.”

Speaking on the business outlook for the DTH sector, Videocon d2h CEO Anil Khera said: “There has been numerous industry developments during Fiscal 2017, which we believe will provide for growth opportunities in the DTH sector in India. Recently, the government shared information on the applicable Goods and Service Tax (GST) rate for DTH. The GST rate of 18 percent for DTH operators could reduce tax payments in Fiscal 2018 and beyond.”

Other matrices

The company’s content cost in fiscal 2017 increased in terms of percentage of revenue to 39.9 percent compared to 37.8 percent in FY-16. During the four quarters of the current year – Q1-17, Q2-17, Q3-17 and Q4-17, content costs as percentage of revenue were: 38.7 percent, 38.7 percent, 39.6 and 42.5 percent respectively.

The company has invested Rs 6,249 million towards capacity expansion (capex) in FY-17 as compared to Rs 7,269 million in FY-16 and Rs 7,649 million in FY-15.

Related Topics:Anil Khera maiden annual pay TV company Videocon d2h

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DTH

Dish TV Q3 revenues fall 20 per cent, Ebitda turns negative

Published

1 week ago

February 7, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

NOIDA: When the remote stops working, you don’t throw it away, you change the batteries. Dish TV is trying something similar. Faced with falling subscription revenues and a fast-shrinking DTH universe, India’s once-dominant satellite broadcaster is flipping channels, betting on smart TVs, OTT aggregation and a hybrid future even as the numbers flash red.

For the quarter ended 31 December, 2025, Dish TV India reported operating revenues of Rs 2,991 million, down 19.8 per cent year-on-year from Rs 3,730 million. Subscription revenues, still the backbone of the business, fell sharply by 32.2 per cent to Rs 2,245 million, reflecting industry-wide cord-cutting and persistent churn. The pain shows up clearly below the line.

Ebitda swung to a loss of Rs 415 million, compared with a profit of Rs 1,227 million a year earlier. Total expenditure climbed 36.1 per cent to Rs 3,406 million, pushing costs to nearly 114 per cent of operating revenues. The quarter closed with a loss before tax of Rs 2,762 million, weighed down further by exceptional items of Rs 700 million. Yet the company insists this is not a business stuck buffering, but one deliberately loading a new format.

Dish TV is repositioning itself from a pure DTH operator into what it calls a connected-home entertainment platform, stitching together live television, OTT apps and smart devices. The centrepiece of that strategy is the nationwide rollout of VZY smart TVs, offering a unified DTH-plus-OTT experience.

Amazon Prime Video has now been integrated across Dish TV’s ecosystem, including Watcho and VZY. Watcho, the company’s in-house OTT super app, has crossed millions of downloads and paid subscribers, aggregating more than 25 content apps.

Fliqs, its creator-driven content platform, is being pitched as a home for premium regional and international programming. Brand visibility has also been boosted through splashy partnerships with Bigg Boss Hindi and Bigg Boss Kannada: high-decibel bets in a crowded attention economy.

“Indian home entertainment is undergoing a structural shift,” said CEO and executive director Manoj Dobhal arguing that Dish TV’s hybrid model improves convenience while keeping customers within a single ecosystem. The revenue mix shows early signs of diversification, even if it is not yet compensating for falling subscriptions.

Marketing and promotional fees rose 27.3 per cent to Rs 399 million, while advertisement income, still small, nearly doubled to Rs 48 million. Other operating income surged 267.6 per cent to Rs 298 million, softening the overall revenue decline.

On costs, the company is tightening the screws. It has renegotiated transponder contracts, rationalised call-centre and general expenses, and improved asset discipline by boosting set-top box recovery beyond 30 days, reducing swap frequency and replacement capex.

New customer activations are being driven through a no-subsidy Rs 999 set-top box, a move management says materially improves unit economics and cash flow. Still, risks remain stubbornly in view. Churn continues to shadow the business, and scaling Watcho while balancing content spend will demand execution discipline.

Cost cuts, the company admits, must not erode service quality: a delicate act in a market where customer loyalty is already thin. For now, Dish TV’s numbers tell a story of strain.

DTH

Tata Play deepens Odia push with ad-free ‘Odia Manoranjan’ platform

Published

3 weeks ago

January 29, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: Tata Play is doubling down on regional loyalty. India’s leading DTH player has launched Tata Play Odia Manoranjan, a new value-added service that corrals Odia entertainment into a single, ad-free destination, available on television and the Tata Play mobile app.

Powered by Sidharth TV, one of Odisha’s most popular Odia-language GECs, the platform serves up a hefty catalogue: over 180 movies, 100+ Jatras, around 20 television shows and a library of more than 12,000 songs spanning devotional, folk, film and non-film genres. From vintage favourites to contemporary titles, the mix is pitched squarely at Odia-speaking households, with particular pull in tier-3 and tier-4 markets.

Subscribers get 24×7, full-screen SD viewing without ad breaks on channel number 1755, with live TV and VOD access across screens. The price point is deliberately sharp: Rs 2 a day.

Pallavi Puri, chief commercial and content officer at Tata Play, framed the move as a bet on language and culture. “India’s strongest viewing loyalties are rooted in language and lived culture. Tata Play Odia Manoranjan brings together the many expressions of Odia entertainment—from films and Jatras to devotional programming and music—into one clearly defined destination. With this launch, Tata Play further elevates its regional content offering by giving Odia audiences a single, definitive home for their stories and traditions.”

For Sidharth TV Network, the partnership is about reach without compromise. Sitaram Agrawalla, owner and chairman, said: “For decades, Odia families have trusted our entertainment platforms for stories that feel like home, and for moments that bring us together. Tata Play Odia Manoranjan builds on this trust by placing a diverse range of Odia films, theatre, devotional music and shows into a single, accessible space. This collaboration isn’t just about wider distribution—it’s about honouring the preferences of Odia viewers with a seamless, ad-free viewing experience that reflects their language, culture and the way they choose to engage with content.”

The new service slots into Tata Play’s expanding portfolio of entertainment and infotainment platform services across genres including entertainment, kids, learning, regional and devotion, catering to all age groups.

In short: one language, one screen, zero ads—and a clear signal that regional is where the real viewing power lies.

DTH

Binge strikes play as Tata Play adds Times Play to its OTT universe

Published

3 months ago

December 2, 2025

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: If streaming had galaxies, Tata Play Binge just opened a wormhole. In its latest move to become India’s most sprawling entertainment universe, the platform has now folded Times Play, Times Network’s digital-first OTT service, into its all-in-one subscription bouquet bringing Hollywood hits, snackable shorts, live news, lifestyle, entertainment, Pickleball and 11 live TV channels under a single roof.

The new addition means subscribers no longer need to hop between apps in Olympic-level finger gymnastics, Binge now pulls Times Network’s entire digital catalogue into one screen, one login, one bill. And in the era of attention overload, that’s practically a public service.

Times Play brings with it a distinctive blend of premium Hollywood cinema, web series, short-format videos, and Times Network’s formidable news muscle. Viewers can flip seamlessly between Romedy Now, Movies Now, MNX, MN+, Zoom, Times Now, Times Now Navbharat, ET Now, ET Now Swadesh, and even Pickleball Now, mirroring the growing Indian appetite for niche sporting entertainment.

On the long-form front, hits like Reunion, India’s Story, True Story of Angeline Jolie, Orphan First Kill, The November Man, Barely Lethal, Southpaw, The Hurt Locker, Transporter Refueled, and The Holiday sit alongside Times Network factual and current-affairs staples including Frankly Speaking, Sawaal Public Ka, and News Ki Paathshaala.

Describing the partnership, Tata Play chief commercial and content officer Pallavi Puri, said the aim remained unchanged to make content discovery effortless and reduce the modern curse of app overload. She noted that integrating Times Play enriches Binge’s already deep catalogue with a broader mix of premium films, originals and news programming “without juggling multiple apps or subscriptions”.

Times Network echoed the sentiment, calling the collaboration a natural extension of its mission to deliver credible entertainment and journalism at scale. It emphasised Tata Play’s reach, reliability and reputation as a key driver in bringing Times Play’s digital catalogue to diverse Indian households.

With the addition of Times Play, Tata Play Binge now boasts 30 plus OTT platforms on a single interface, a list that includes Prime Video, JioHotstar, Zee5, Apple TV+, Lionsgate, SunNXT, Discovery+, BBC Player, Aha, Fancode, ShemarooMe, Hungama, ManoramaMax, Nammaflix, Tarang Plus, Travel XP, Animax, Fuse+, ShortsTV, Curiosity Stream, and DistroTV, among others.

Notably, Netflix remains available as part of combo packs for DTH subscribers, while Amazon Prime Video can be unlocked as an add-on for Binge users with a Tata Play DTH connection. And for large-screen loyalists, all 30 plus apps can be streamed via LG, Samsung and Android Smart TVs, the Tata Play Binge+ set-top box, Amazon FireTV Stick – Tata Play edition, or through TataPlayBinge.com.

The expansion comes on the heels of recent integrations, including WAVES by Prasar Bharati and BBC Player, reinforcing Tata Play Binge’s ambition to remain India’s most diverse, most unified, and most fuss-free entertainment destination.

With Times Play now in the mix, Binge isn’t just aggregating content, it’s quietly aggregating the future of how India watches.