DTH

“Our core business is providing content”: Sukhpreet Singh

Published

2 years ago

April 23, 2024

Mumbai: Dish TV is transforming the entertainment landscape in India with the introduction of its innovative offering, ‘Dish TV Smart+’. As a pioneering move in the industry, this initiative redefines the way customers experience entertainment by providing seamless access to both TV and OTT content across all screens, without any additional charges.

With ‘Dish TV Smart+’, both new and existing subscribers of Dish TV and D2H can enjoy a plethora of popular OTT apps alongside their chosen TV subscription pack. This comprehensive service ecosystem ensures that entertainment is available anytime, anywhere, on any screen, be it through the Watcho OTT Super App, smart devices such as set-top boxes, or Android STBs. Moreover, Dish TV is forging partnerships with leading TV and Mobile Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to seamlessly integrate their services into these devices, thereby enhancing the overall user experience.

Not long ago, there was apprehension among TV channels, DTH, and Cable TV operators regarding the rapid rise of OTT entertainment in India. However, the landscape has evolved significantly since then. Today, TV networks have adapted by launching their own OTT platforms, while DTH operators have shifted their approach to become aggregators of content.

Indiantelevision.com on the sideline of the launch, caught up with Dish TV & Watcho corporate head of marketing Sukhpreet Singh. During the interview, Singh discussed the rationale behind the launch of their new initiative and shed light on the challenges encountered within the pay TV ecosystem and the DTH industry.

Edited excerpts

On the need of launching Dish TV Smart+

The need is the fact that we are in the content distribution. We don’t differentiate between where the content is coming from Customers watch content in linear platforms as well as OTT. Our job was to bring all that together in a way which is a good experience and affordable for the customers.

On the features that differentiate Dish TV Smart + from other Dish TV offerings

First thing is we are the only DTH at a price of 200+ both that provides DTH and OTT. Secondly, we are the only one who’s providing a complete ecosystem of DTH plus OTT packs along with devices and OTT apps. I think we are the only one that is able to provide any screen, anywhere and anytime at that price point.

On Dish TV Smart + integrating traditional satellite TV with online streaming services

All the traditional satellite channels are available on hardboxes. If you look at it, we have our traditional boxes, connected boxes and our OTT app which doesn’t need a box. In that app, we have live TV, OTT content from various OTT apps. So if you take all of them together, whatever customer you are, whatever devices you have, we will be able to provide you with content.

On Dobhal showcasing pay TV + smart TV to be increased by 183 million by 2030 during the presentation and the challenges faced in pure pay TV ecosystem

What was shown in the presentation was pay TV + smart TV. There is going to be a lot of hybrid consumption, that is what we are trying to tell. If you only look at the pure pay TV, they might not grow. If you take pay TV, smart TV and all the hybrid consumption, that will work. What we are seeing is people are watching a lot of content, even if it’s streaming content, they are watching it a lot on television. Consumption on television is not decreasing, that is what we described. That increase is basically pay TV and smart TV. People are gonna watch a lot more content on television and like I said, it is very narrow to describe yourself as the only satellite and DTH provider. Most of the major broadcasters are providing traditional linear services also and streaming & OTT services. Most of the major OTT apps come from the broadcasters. They are also trying to innovate. It brings me back to the point that it doesn’t matter where the content is coming from and there are all types of customers. Even in a single family, there are people watching television, there are people watching OTT only on their mobile, there are people watching OTT on smart TVs. Our job is to provide content for the modern Indian family.

On TRAI’s Performance Indicator Report highlighting the decline of the active subscriber base for pay DTH by 2.06 per cent from 66.62 million in December 2022 to 65.25 million in March 2023

Yes! The numbers which you can see in the TRAI reports, they are all in sync. We all know that if we are talking about only traditional ways of watching content then obviously it will come down. But we have to look at our business which is providing content whether it is traditional or new, doesn’t matter. Every traditional thing changes into new. Our core business is providing content. If the traditional way is coming down, then the new way will go up. If we are focused only on the traditional way, we will also go down.

On the future of content consumption in India

The way we see it from the business perspective, the number of hours that people spend while watching content is exploding. People have so much content to watch that they get confused. Right from niche content to blockbuster ones, everything is available along with many languages. Now you have such high quality content in regional languages. Even if you take a very niche language, then you will find a lot of beautiful content available, thanks to OTT platforms that are making it possible. So it’s a great time for content, it’s a great time for consuming content for all kinds of screens and our job is to make it possible.

Related Topics:cable TV Dish TV Manoj Dhobale pay TV Sukhpreet Singh Watcho

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DTH

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

Published

2 weeks 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.