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Tag: Airtel Digital TV

  • DTH operators woo customers with lucrative offerings

    DTH operators woo customers with lucrative offerings

    The year has started on a good note for direct to home (DTH) subscribers. Even as Indian DTH players have seeded close to four million set-top-boxes (STBs) across the country in Q1-2015 alone, with growing competition and increasing digitization push, the companies are now also putting their best foot forward to woo more subscribers, while retaining existing ones.

     

    Going by the latest Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) report, almost 34.90 million DTH subscribers in India are inactive as against the total registered subscriber base of 76.05 million till the quarter ending March 2015. So while the DTH operators have been thumping their chests about adding new subscribers, their constant effort is channelized towards luring existing subscribers to stay on. And one such way to do that is by launching new products and services.

     

     

    As the year kicked off with the ICC Cricket World Cup and Indian Premiere League (IPL), DTH players got into overdrive mode early on with offerings galore. From Tata Sky launching 4K STBs, Videocon d2h rolling out a 4K Ultra HD multi genre channel, Dish TV offering discount packs, Sun Direct giving away an HD DVR connection at the cost of an HD connection on buying Samsung Curve to Airtel Digital TV’s UHD TV, it has been the year when DTH subscribers have been spoilt for choice.

     

     

    Over the past eight months, different players have come up with different strategies to increase subscription as well as add more active subscribers.

     

    Here’s a lowdown on who did what:

     

    Dish TV

     

    The DTH operator, which had in 2014 created a sub-brand called Zing, started the year by launching Zing for the Tamil Nadu market. Dish TV had introduced the sub-brand to cater to the specific needs of consumers in different regions and also give competition to the cable industry. Through this, Dish TV offered more than 145 channels, including 49 Tamil channels and services in a mere price of Rs 99 per month. Soon after, the operator launched Zing for the Kerala region as well. This time, it gave more than 150 channels, including 16 Malayalam channels at Rs 99 per month.

     

    Cashing in on the IPL, Dish TV, which was one of the sponsors for Kolkata Knight Riders, introduced a special Cricket+ package to increase its subscription revenues as well as the entertainment quotient.

     

    Dish TV, in order to get the ‘Art of Living’ lovers onboard launched Anandam Active to showcase the teachings of the spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravishankar. The service was made available to the subscribers of Dish TV with a monthly subscription fee of Rs 59 per month.

     

    “It has been our constant endeavour to make television viewing a wholesome experience for the entire family. We have always believed in offering unique content to our subscribers,” Dish TV COO Salil Kapoor had then said.

     

    Soon after, in order to lure music lovers, Dish TV tied up with Hungama to launch ‘Music Active Service.’ The service was launched to enhance Dish TV’s portfolio in the field of VAS and music and provide unlimited music to subscribers. While it launched the service at an introductory price of Rs 35 till 31 October, it will be priced at Rs 45 starting 1 November.

     

    The platform has something for everyone. In order to satiate the needs of movie lovers, Dish TV launched its first Home Video System – DishFlix. With this first of its kind push VOD service, Dish TV aims to empower consumers to enjoy uninterrupted ad-free entertainment. Through the service, viewers will be able to pause, play, fast forward and rewind movies or TV shows at their own convenience. Another unique feature is that this service will not require an internet connection as the content will be pushed to the customer’s STB via satellite. The customers for the service will need a DishFlix Box, which is priced at Rs 5990 that comes preloaded with 50 movies. Out of these, 15 movies will be refreshed every month on FIFO (First in First Out) basis (one new movie every two days) so that the viewable movie library is always updated. The monthly subscription to Flix studio is Rs 100.

     

    Tata Sky

     

    Tata Sky started its year with the launch of first 4K STB in India at a time when the country was preparing for the biggest cricketing extravaganza, the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. While for the new subscribers, the 4K box was available for Rs 6400, existing subscribers could avail the box at Rs 5900.

     

    Soon after, the DTH operator decided to disrupt the market by making DTH connections affordable for its customers. Keeping this in mind, the operator launched the ‘Daily Recharge’ voucher, which empowered subscribers to pay only for the day they watched TV at Rs 8. This also became the smallest denomination of recharge voucher in the television-viewing sector globally. Tata Sky’s aim was to make inroads into untapped markets.

     

    “This initiative elevates the DTH sector by redefining the pace of digitization and reach to markets nationwide,” said Tata Sky MD & CEO Harit Nagpal at the time of launching the service.

     

    The latest addition to the DTH operator’s offering is its new upgraded STB – Tata Sky+ Transfer, which will enable users to transfer the recorded content onto alternative screens. The new product addresses the growing consumption of video on the move, through smartphones, tablets and other alternative screens. The new STB, which is priced at Rs 9300 for new subscribers and Rs 7200, for existing customers, will work on a Wi-Fi connection.

     

    Videocon d2h

     

    For Videocon d2h, the highlight of the year has been the launch of the first 24-hour 4K Ultra HD multi genre channel in January. The 4K Ultra HD channel is a content pipe that can carry multi genre feeds like movies, video on demand, travel, infotainment, sports etc provided by international broadcasters or independent content providers. The channel was launched just before the ICC Cricket World Cup, thus enabling subscribers to experience the sport in 4K Ultra HD.

     

    In June, the company unveiled its new initiative aimed at preschool and elementary school aged children with the launch of SMART Services. This comprised value-added bouquet of learning activities and games available exclusively to Videocon d2h subscribers at a subscription rate of Rs 45 per month. The banner included Smart Learning, Smart Kids and Smart Games, all available on subscription basis.

     

    Airtel Digital TV

     

    Airtel Digital TV was the first to launch indigenously manufactured STBs, in keeping with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ campaign. The STBs have been made available in HD and soon all of Airtel Digital TV’s STBs will be manufactured in India. These indigenous Airtel Digital TV HD+ STBs offer features like – Full HD 1080p support, MPEG-4 video with Dolby Digital Plus Surround Sound; 5X picture clarity; unlimited recording (via USB-drive); and USB-based Wi-Fi connectivity for On-demand, Anytime TV and Interactive Gaming.

     

    In order to make available DTH account details easily, Airtel Digital TV launched the missed call service for customers. Through this, customers can get their DTH account details on their mobile number by just giving a missed call on 08130081300. The service is completely free of cost for all Airtel Digital TV customers and provides information regarding customer ID, balance and validity, package name, monthly rental, base package rental, top up rental, last recharge date and amount and number of connections to customers on an SMS within five seconds of the missed call.

     

    The company also rolled out an innovative and easy to use Self-Care application for television sets, a first-of-its kind by a DTH service provider. A TV replica of the ‘My Airtel mobile app,’ the Self-Care enables customers within Airtel Digital TV HD STBs could easily access their account details real-time on their TV sets. The app can be accessed by connecting the STB to an internet connection via a LAN cable or with the help of the newly launched plug and play Wi-Fi dongle– Airtel Infinity.

     

    Sun Direct

     

    DTH operator Sun Direct wooed its customers during the two mega sporting events of the year – the ICC Cricket World Cup and IPL. The platform, which believes that events like these help increase its existing subscriber base, came up with special packs during the World Cup and IPL. While it offered the Star Sports bouquet on its bestselling Cinema+Sports pack for the World Cup, it provided Sony Six, the official broadcaster for the league free to new customers in order to incentivize them during the IPL.

     

    Sun Direct offered the Cinema+Sports package at Rs 195 per month during WC and focused on the pack in order to fulfill the requirements of its customers, during the cricketing season.

     

    During IPL, the operator also provided IPL add-on free for customers, who recharged beyond six months. That apart, Sun Direct also came up with an add-on for Rs 44, which allowed customers to watch the T20 matches for the entire duration of the tournament. “We see the IPL as a good tool to win back customers and improve our recharges substantially,” Sun Direct CEO Mahesh Kumar had earlier told Indiantelevision.com.

     

    While DTH operators have been putting their money where the mouth is by launching innovations as well as technological upgrades, the fact remains that close to 45 per cent of DTH subscribers are inactive in India. Going by this figure, DTH players will have to ramp-up their offerings to ensure that those coming onboard stay with them on as loyal customers in the long run.

  • Subhash Chandra’s Living Ent. to launch 5 channels; eyes Rs 1000 crore revenue in 4 years

    Subhash Chandra’s Living Ent. to launch 5 channels; eyes Rs 1000 crore revenue in 4 years

    MUMBAI: Essel Group’s Living Entertainment is looking at launching five new channels in the Indian market.

     

    The first channel to go on air will be an international food and lifestyle channel christened Living Foodz. Hitting Indian airwaves on 11 September, 2015, this foodtainment channel will have dual feed in Hindi and English.

     

    Additionally, the group also plans to launch Zee Living in India, which is already an established channel in the US. Apart from this, channels that will be launched under the Living Entertainment’s umbrella are: Living Rootz, which will concentrate on the rich civilization of the country, Living Homez focusing on home décor and Living Travelz, which will emphasise on the traveling aspect. The launch dates of these four channels have not yet been decided. 

     

    What’s more, the Living network, which has generated revenues of Rs 80 crore from global operations, is eyeing global revenue of Rs 1000 crore in the next four years.

     

    “In the next six months, we will add Rs 30 crore from India operations, which will take our business to around Rs  110 – 115 crore. In next four years, Living network will reach the Rs 1000 crore mark,” informed Zeel and Essel Group chairman Dr Subhash Chandra.

     

    According to him, 12 – 13 per cent of the global television viewership comes from the lifestyle category, while in terms of revenue generation the percentile goes up to 18 to 20 per cent, hence offering a huge space to explore.

     

    “This is yet another endeavour from our group to bring the world closer through entertainment. Living is all about global mindsets and experiences. This is also in line with our group philosophy of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ – The world is my family. Our group has always believed in creating not just great content but building genres and brands that are milestones,” he added.

     

    According to Dr Chandra, the American market, where Living network’s Zee Living has already established itself, is the most closed economy. “I have no hesitation in saying that, though people say US is the father of market economy, it’s the most closed economy I have ever seen in my life. We had to tussle hard to get distribution and even today out of 110 million homes, we managed to reach only 30 million homes,” he asserted.

     

    Zeel MD & CEO Punit Goenka added, “With Living, we intend to make global content for global audiences. This will be for the first time ever  that original content from India will be available to audiences across the globe. We are very proud to present this new form of entertainment to our audiences.”

     

    Drawing light to the business aspiration of the first channel to be launched from the bouquet, Goenka said, “Living Foodz will be a profitable from year one. Given the quality and content we have, I am sure of the fact that Living Foodz will go a long way.”

     

    Living Foodz will specialise in exploring the evolving social status of food: moving out of the confines of the conventional kitchen into a world of entertainment and adventure with food. Having food at its core, Living Foodz will explore different perspectives towards food and the way it touches people – from lifestyle, travel, wellness to food infotainment and reality.

     

    “Living is our endeavour to showcase audiences with great lifestyle content. Growth of digitisation is leading to fragmentation of audiences, thereby creating an opportunity for differentiated and genre specific content. Moreover, increasing digital households are giving rise to increased audience expectations and demand for more diverse viewing opportunities. Under this scenario we are providing Living Foodz to people who love exploring and knowing more about food,” opined Zee Living – India & APAC CEO Piyush Sharma. 

     

    Sharma further informed that the network will launch an app in six months’ time as well as a website in the next two months. “The channel will have 100 per cent original content,” he added.

     

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Living Foodz business head Amit Nair said, “We will have 80 per cent of Indian content, while 20 per cent will be English. The entire programming will be in-house. We have a very good in-house team who will handle that part.”

     

    In terms of marketing, the channel will emphasize more on digital platforms while there will be a 360 degree presence.

     

    For the Indian market, Living Foodz will be the international food & lifestyle channel that will have a universal feel and will appeal to new age groups in digital households. The core audience set will comprise the well travelled and connected people with high interest level of food. 

     

    The launch of Living Foodz will also mean curtains down for Zee’s Khana Khazana channel. “We are proud of the achievements and accolades Khana Khazana has garnered so far but now we believe audiences’ taste has changed and hence we decided to come up with Living Foodz. We will use Khana Khazana content and re-package it for our digital platforms, but since Living Foodz is going to have 100 per cent fresh content we cannot have its content on television,” said Sharma.

     

    The shows that Living Foodz is launching with are: Food Xpress: Rocky & Mayur, Chef on Wheels, Vickypedia, with Chef Vicky Ratnani, The Great Indian Rasoi with chef Ranveer Brar, Good Food America and Peggy’s Kitchen Cures.

     

    The channel will be available across all direct-to-home (DTH) platforms like Dish TV, Tata Sky, Airtel Digital TV and Videocon d2h as well as leading cable networks.

     

    Living Entertainment in India will be an extension of the Living network belonging to Essel Group, which already exists in international markets.

  • Made-in-India STBs sale to witness 15% growth in DAS phase 4

    Made-in-India STBs sale to witness 15% growth in DAS phase 4

    NEW DELHI: With the government’s emphasis on Make in India, local manufacturing of set top boxes (STBs) that are built within the country is showing a steady increase, even as India continued to lead STB shipments for the quarter ended June 2015 accounting for about 94 per cent of the total shipments to the SAARC region (Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka).

     

    With digitisation in India and other countries in the region propelling the demand for SD STBs to HDTV and hybrid boxes, the STB market in major South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation countries is witnessing steady and robust growth.

     

    According to research from Dataxis, indigenous manufacturing had been merely five per cent in the Phase I and Phase II of Digital Addressable System (DAS). While this has seen a steady growth in the third phase, the sale of Made-in-India STBs is likely to witness growth up to 15 per cent in the fourth phase of digitization.

     

    “Local manufacturing in India, which got a shot in the arm with the Indian government’s Make-in-India initiative, is slowly picking up as indigenous brands are signing deals with MSOs in third and fourth stage. The local STB brands are opting to independent, regional MSOs than the pan-India MSOs or national players,” says Dataxis analyst Sreeja VN.

     

    STB shipments to SAARC countries have witnessed 20 per cent quarter-on-quarter growth during the second quarter of 2015. In Q2 2015, 4.38 million STBs were shipped in the SAARC region with an estimated value of $96 million.

     

    The Dataxis research also finds that the quantity of the STB shipments in India the first half of this year has declined compared to the same period a year ago. However, the total number of STBs shipped in Q2 2015 registered an increase on quarter-on-quarter basis.

     

    Technicolor tops the STB shipments to SAARC in the Q2 2015. The company’s recent deal to acquire Cisco’s STB unit could further bolster Technicolor’s presence in the SAARC STB market.

     

    Airtel Digital TV, Dish TV and Videocon d2h, the three major DTH players have announced their plans to focus on deploying indigenous brands, which will give a boost to domestic manufacturing of STBs in India. The first half of the 2015 also witnessed DTH players partnering with Indian brands to source STBs manufactured indigenously.

     

    Another notable trend, according to Dataxis Research, is the increasing demand for HD STBs in the region. Dataxis’s analysis of STB shipment for the H1 2014 and H1 2015 depicts steady growth in the volume of HD STBs shipped to India. The rise in the number of HD STBs has also contributed to a rise in the average selling price of STBs shipped in the first half of 2015 compared to the same period last year.

     

    The report says that the key STB vendors for the quarter are: Technicolor, Skyworth, Changhong, Huawei and Coship (international vendors), and Mybox, One-eIGHT technologies, Trend Electronics, Ridsys, and Willet Communications (domestic vendors). 

  • Airtel Digital TV launches ‘Made in India’ set-top-boxes

    Airtel Digital TV launches ‘Made in India’ set-top-boxes

    MUMBAI: Airtel Digital TV, the DTH arm of Bharti Airtel, has launched its first indigenously manufactured set-top-boxes (STBs), which are aptly called ‘Made in India’ STBs.

     

    Conceptualised and designed in India, the HD STBs will be manufactured at a facility in Pune (Ranjangaon) with an aim to match global technology standards to provide the best of experience to customers.

     

    The boxes will serve HD users to begin with and soon all Airtel Digital TV’s set-top-boxes will be manufactured in India. This move makes Airtel Digital TV the latest corporate to join the Narendra Modi government’s Make in India initiative. The launch promotes an ecosystem that will drive indigenous manufacturing of DTH STBs empowered with production capabilities as well as technical expertise within India.

     

    When asked about the initiative, Bharti Airtel DTH and media CEO Shashi Arora said, “With this we aim to reduce our imports and thus help drive employment and growth within the country. In the long run, cost synergies will further help us extend more benefits to our customers.”

     

    Based on an in-house design by MyBox Tech, which is a subsidiary of Hero Electronix, and ST Microelectronics, a multinational manufacturer of Integrated Devices and semiconductors, the STBs will offer features including Full HD 1080p support, MPEG-4 video with Dolby Digital Plus Surround Sound, 5X picture clarity, unlimited recording (via USB-drive), and USB-based Wi-Fi connectivity for On-demand, Anytime TV and Interactive Gaming.

     

    Welcoming this move by Airtel Digital TV, minister of state for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore said, “It is great that Airtel Digital TV is aligning itself with our Make in India vision as this will certainly pedal the fast gaining momentum of the initiative further.”

     

    Airtel Digital TV connection on these HD boxes will be available under various packages.

     

  • FY-2015: Inflection point for DTH companies in India?

    FY-2015: Inflection point for DTH companies in India?

    BENGALURU: Is FY-2015 the inflection point for direct to home (DTH) companies in India? The answer seems yes, if one were to go by the financials declared by three listed operators for the quarter and year ended 31 March, 2015 (Q4-2015 and FY-2015 respectively) – Airtel Digital TV, Dish TV and Videocon d2h. And the players are gung-ho about the future. Subscriber growth and higher ARPUs (Average Revenue Per User) are some of the factors that have brightened the picture for this segment of the carriage industry in fiscal 2015.

     

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

     

    This report covers only three of the seven DTH service providers in India since the other four – Reliance Digital TV, Sun Direct (about 97 lakh subscribers as on 31 March, 2015), Tata Sky and DD Free Dish are not listed on the bourses and their financial numbers are not available.

     

    The Numbers

     

    Dish TV

     

    Dish TV’s standalone and consolidated net Total Income from Operations (TIO) in FY-2016 at Rs 2781.64 crore was 10.9 per cent more than the Rs 2508.97 crore in FY-2014. Standalone TIO in Q4- 2015 at Rs 754.72 crore grew 18.5 per cent as compared to the Rs 636.91 crore in the corresponding year ago quarter and was 10.3 per cent more than the Rs 684.26 crore in Q3-2015.

     

    According to Dish TV, the DTH sector is a direct beneficiary of a positive consumer sentiment. The company achieved strong subscriber growth of 1.5 million net subscribers during the year. Fiscal 2015 also saw Dish TV swing to net profit, a first for any DTH company in India.

     

    The biggest among the three in terms of revenue as well subscribers, Dish TV at the close of FY-2015, reported standalone net profit after tax (PAT) of Rs 35.01 crore in Q4-2015 and a standalone PAT of Rs 1.01 crore in FY-2015 as compared to a standalone loss of Rs 154.21 crore in FY-2014. For Q3-2015, Dish TV’s loss was just Rs 2.87 crore as compared to double-digit crore loss numbers in the previous or like-to-like quarters. Dish TV also doubled its subscriber growth to 15 lakh in FY-2015 as compared to the previous year. As on 31 March, 2015, the company reported a net subscriber base of 1.29 crore, having added 4.04 lakh subscribers in the last quarter of 2015.

     

    Dish TV also reported higher ARPU of Rs 179 in Q4-2014 as against Rs 177 in Q3-2015 (1.13 per cent increase in ARPU) and was 5.3 per cent higher than the annual ARPU of Rs 170 reported in Q4-2014.

     

    “As digitization spreads far and wide, we continue to believe that there is sufficient headroom to further explore price differentials between key urban markets and their rural counterparts. All pack prices, for new as well as existing subscribers of Dish TV, have been moved by Rs 10 each in the 42 cities under phase I and II. We are confident that pack price hikes, higher HD uptake, as well as industry level developments such as initiation of packaging in cable will be key contributors to ARPU expansion going forward,” said Dish TV managing director Jawahar Goel.

     

    Post a successful absorption of higher pack prices in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Kolkata, Dish TV initiated another price change during the current month. In less than three months since it was first introduced, differential pricing – an industry first from Dish TV was rolled-out in the balance 38 cities covered under DAS phases I and II with effect from midnight on 12 May, 2015.

     

    Last year Dish TV launched a second brand, Zing, in the Indian DTH space. A resounding success, Zing cemented Dish TV’s supremacy in the DAS Phase 3 and 4 markets with custom-made content, hardware and service packages for the regional audience, says the company.

     

    Airtel Digital TV Services

     

    Airtel’s Digital TV Services (DTH segment) revenue grew 19.2 per cent in FY-2015 to Rs 2475.9 crore from Rs 2077.1 crore in FY-2014. The segment reported 11.8 per cent growth in number of subscribers with 100.73 lakh subscribers on 31 March, 2015 as compared to the 90.12 lakh subscribers at the close of the previous year. ARPU in FY-2015 at Rs 214 was five per cent more than the Rs 203 in FY-2014. The segment reported slightly higher monthly churn of one per cent as compared to 0.9 per cent in FY-2014.

     

    The DTH segment reported an operating profit of Rs 8.1 crore in Q4-2015 as compared to an operating loss of Rs 36 crore in the immediate trailing quarter. For FY-2015, Airtel DTH reported a lower operating loss of Rs 158.1 crore, for FY-2014, operating loss was three times more at Rs 481.2 crore.

     

    EBIDTA and EBIDTA margins in FY-2015 at Rs 675.2 crore (27.3 per cent of total revenue) were more than double (2.02 times) the Rs 334.7 crore (16.1 per cent of total revenue) in the previous year.

     

    Videocon d2h

     

    Coupled with higher ARPU for FY-2015 at Rs 196, and Rs 202 in Q4-2015, Videocon d2h reported 32.5 per cent growth in revenue from operations in FY-2015 at Rs 2337.7 crore as compared to the Rs 1764.4 crore in FY-2014. The company’s subscription revenue increased 38.3 per cent in the current year to Rs 2058.1 crore from Rs 1487.7 crore in the previous year.

     

    Videocon d2h says that it was able to push through an inflation linked ARPU increase in February 2015. As a result, Q4-2015 ARPU was Rs 202, up 11.7 per cent from FY-2015.

     

    Videocon d2h closed fiscal 2015 with 101.8 lakh subscribers as compared to 84.4 lakh in the previous year. It claims market leadership in subscriber growth in FY-2015 with 26.4 lakh gross subscribers and 17.4 lakh net subscriber additions. Subscriber churn per month increased fractionally in FY-2015 to 0.8 per cent as compared to 0.76 per cent in the previous year.

     

    The company reported lower net loss in FY-2015 at Rs 272.7 crore as compared to the Rs 319.5 crore in the previous year. Adjusted EBIDTA increased 55.3 per cent in the current year to Rs 609.1 crore (margin 26.1 per cent) from Rs 319.5 crore (margin 34.1 per cent), the company said in its earnings release on NASDAQ.

     

    Videocon d2h CEO Anil Khera said, “The Pay TV segment in India is positioned for extraordinary growth over the next few years with millions of new TV homes being created on account of the strong economic outlook in India as well as the Government of India’s initiative to roll out its digitalization mandate across the country. We believe that 9 to 10 crore homes will be making the switch to digital platforms, which will be available to the DTH and digital cable operators. We are well positioned to benefit from this and we believe we will take the largest share of this opportunity, as we have in the past. With strong economic growth outlook for India, overall media sector is expected to grow in the years to come. We believe this will help grow ARPU, TV penetration and increase HD uptake leading to stronger revenue growth for Pay TV in general and Videocon d2h in particular.”

     

    End points

     

    The last quarter of fiscal 2015 (Q4-2015) has shown better than average results in the case of all the three DTH players examined in this report. PAT in Q4-2015 eliminated the loss Dish TV incurred in the first three quarters of FY-2015. In the case of Airtel DTH segment, EBITDA for Q4-2015 increased to Rs 207.8 crore as compared to Rs 96.7 crore in the corresponding quarter last year. The reported EBITDA margin improved significantly to 32.7 per cent in Q4-2015, as compared to a margin of 17.9 per cent in the corresponding quarter last year.

     

    As mentioned above, Airtel DTH turned EBIT positive to Rs 8.0 crore in the current quarter, as compared to EBIT loss of Rs 110.7 crore in the corresponding quarter of last year. Comparable numbers for Videocon d2h have not been made available since the company debuted on NASDAQ on 1 April, 2015 and has disclosed only a limited amount of information about its annual numbers.

     

    The Indian carriage universe has 16.8 crore households. DTH operators have continued to focus on improving realisations by increasing penetration of HD channels, premium channels and value added services (VAS) according to the FICCI-KPMG Indian Media and Entertainment Industry Report 2015. However, they may have to rework their channel packages to be more relevant and affordable for phases III and IV subscribers. A case in point mentioned above is Dish TV’s sub-brand Zing, which caters to specific linguistic needs of subscribers and offers regional specific packs as a part of all available packs.

     

    Also, all major DTH operators have launched apps for mobiles and tablets through which subscribers can watch live TV for an additional fee and DTH operators have the advantage of monetising these viewers because of their existing payment relationships with their subscribers. 

     

    The FICCI-KPMG 2015 report also says that battle for subscribers in phases III and IV of DAS in India is expected to be more keenly fought between MSOs’ and DTH players. While DTH players managed to get only 20 to 30 per cent of the subscribers converting from analogue to digital in phases I and II, they are in a much better position in phases III and IV due to inherent technology advantage of DTH in sparsely populated areas and also due to their balance sheets being healthier than the MSOs’.

     

    The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting extended the deadlines for phases III and IV to 31 December, 2015 and 31 December, 2016, respectively, and there could be another delay by 12 months according to experts, which means that phase IV rollout could complete only at the end of 2017 or even 2018. The benefits of digitisation in these phases in terms of improved addressability and ARPU is expected to take much longer. At the end of 2019, the FICCI-KPMG report expects digital cable subscriber and DTH subscriber ratio to be 55:45 with 9.4 crore digital cable subscribers and 7.6 crore DTH subscribers.

     

    HITS (Headends in the Sky), if it takes off even in a small way, could affect the fortunes of both the DTH and the cable TV industry. Let’s wait and watch how the Hinduja Group, which has a license to launch HITS and is a major player in the cable TV business, plays this out. Jain TV, the other licensee for HITS, has made a miniscule dent. IPTV is still at less than an infancy stage in the country.

     

    If DTH companies can sustain, innovate in technology and offerings and grow from here, FY-2015, and maybe Q4-2015 could really be the turning point when at least one segment of the carriage business in India has started making money. Only time will tell…

  • Anil Khera replaces RC Venkateish as DTH Operators Association president

    Anil Khera replaces RC Venkateish as DTH Operators Association president

    MUMBAI: Videocon d2h CEO Anil Khera has replaced Dish TV CEO RC Venkateish as the president of DTH Operators Association.

     

    Khera said, “We will be working together to resolve the issues pertaining to DTH industry. We will take up the issues of DTH operators with the relevant government authorities.  I hope that we will be able to resolve all issues of DTH operators amicably with all the stakeholders. I thank all the members for showing faith in me.”

     

    Khera was chosen unanimously by the members of the association as Venkateish’s replacement to represent the six direct to home (DTH) operators namely Tata Sky, Dish TV, Videocon d2h, Sun Direct, Reliance Digital TV and Airtel Digital TV.

     

    In June 2014, Venkateish  was unanimously elected as the president for a term of one year, where the association had also decided to hold regular meetings every quarter to address issues concerning the DTH industry.

     

    Prior to Venkateish , Tata Sky CEO Harit Nagpal served as president of the DTH Operators Association for three years. After the conclusion of Nagpal’s tenure last year, the association had decided to elect the president for a one year term.

  • DTH operators gear up to woo new customers during IPL

    DTH operators gear up to woo new customers during IPL

    MUMBAI: Will Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) continue its winning streak from last year or will there be another team that will be crowned as this year’s champions in the Indian Premier League (IPL). While a billion people mull over what the final outcome of the cricket tourney will be, Indian direct to home (DTH) operators are not far behind from milking the multibillion dollar sports property.

     

    When quizzed about how the IPL was aiding operators in getting subscriptions, Tata Sky CEO Harit Nagpal says, “Any activity or event like the IPL generates viewer interest. This viewer interest is important and critical in adding subscriptions. But our pricing and such events are independent of each other. People are likely to follow the event and therefore make a purchase.”

     

    Agreeing with him, Sun Direct CEO Mahesh Kumar reasons, “IPL is a fantastic form of cricket that is full of entertainment. Given that we are at the forefront in providing entertainment, the IPL fits in well.”

     

    Kumar is of the opinion that customers coming back from the exam season will definitely be keen to latch on to new connections from Sun Direct as they are providing IPL on Sony Six free to new customers as an incentive. The operator will also provide the IPL add-on free for customers, who recharge beyond six months.

     

    “We see the IPL as a good tool to win back customers and improve our recharges substantially. We also have an add-on for Rs 44, which allows customers to watch the T20 matches for the entire duration of the tournament, apart from the a la carte of Sony Six and Set Max,” he adds.

     

    Dish TV came on board as the official partner for Shah Rukh Khan’s KKR for a fourth time now. The association is a good brand fix as Khan is also the brand ambassador for the DTH operator. The logo of Dish TV will be prominently featured on the non-lead arm of KKR players’ jersey.

     

    “SRK believes in enthralling his audience with quality and consistent entertainment, which is the same philosophy that we at Dish TV believe in. Kolkata has always been a very important market for us and over the years we have been working with the eastern region for trade and consumer engagement activities,” opines Dish TV COO Salil Kapoor.

     

    Kapoor is hopeful that the IPL will bring in added subscriptions. According to him, with cricket fans across the globe, TV sales are likely to see a jump, which in turn will generate a demand for HD channels. “Shah Rukh’s connect and the fact that Dish TV has a strong bouquet of 41 HD channels will help in increasing brand equity, which in turn will result in good sales for us during this IPL,” Kapoor adds.

     

    When asked about the company’s plans during the IPL, Kapoor informs that the ethos behind their brand – i.e. fuelling the passion for entertainment – is to ensure that it goes beyond sports. “This special package is customized to suit the needs of every member of the family. Keeping this in mind, we have introduced the Cricket + package. Our HD channels’ offering is the highest in the industry at present,” he says.

     

    Videocon d2h too has continued its association as the principal sponsor for the Mumbai Indians franchise for the third continuous season of the IPL. The logo of Videocon d2h will feature on the front of the jersey of Mumbai Indians players. Speaking about the same, Videocon d2h CEO Anil Khera says, “We are hopeful of garnering greater visibility for our brand and are looking forward to another eventful year through this partnership.”

     

    Airtel Digital TV has launched various schemes for its customers during this IPL. A company spokesperson informs that for all customers buying Samsung Curve and UHD TV, Airtel Digital TV will offer HD DVR connection at the same cost as that of an HD connection.

     

    “All customers will get discount coupons worth Rs 2650. Customer can enjoy watching the matches on an HD DVR by paying Rs 2350. This box has inbuilt hard disk of 500 GB and customer can enjoy record content up to 750 hours enabling customer to record and watch the matches at a time convenient. Additionally, customers will get free subscription for up to 12 months through a scratch card offer,” informs the spokesperson.

     

    Besides on all other Samsung models, Airtel Digital TV will offer a discount coupon of Rs 660 on its HD+ variant. Additionally customers will get a 8 GB pen drive worth Rs 399 free enabling them to record. Activation charges on Samsung smart direct TVs will be waved off completely.

  • Airtel Digital TV unveils three-pronged strategy for growth

    Airtel Digital TV unveils three-pronged strategy for growth

    MUMBAI: The Direct To Home (DTH) arm of Bharti Airtel – Airtel Digital TV has reached the 10 million customer mark. The company has achieved the feat within a period of six years. As part of its growth plans ahead, the operator has decided to chalk out three key strategies.

     

    Firstly, the company is all set to add 12 new channels to its bouquet taking its portfolio up to 500 channels and services. In addition, it will also expand the High Definition (HD) portfolio to over 50 HD channels making it one of the largest HD bouquets in the industry. Last but not the least, the operator has also decided to expand the regional portfolio soon to offer the highest number of channels in Assamese, Gujarati, Kannada and Tamil languages.

     

    Airtel Digital TV CEO Shashi Arora said, “Innovation and customer satisfaction is the core of our DNA. As we look back, we take pride in the product and service innovations that we have brought to the industry. These offerings have not only helped increase customer stickiness but have also made us one of the fastest growing DTH companies today. We will continue to go this path and offer customers world class content and television viewing.”

     

     

    The operator also claims that it was the first to introduce the Universal Remote to the market along with value added services like Multi-lingual EPG, World’s first USSD-based self-care facility on mobile among others. The recently launched Integrated Digital TV (iDTV) was pioneered in partnership with TV manufacturer, the iDTV technology miniaturized set-top-box into a small yet efficient smart card that fit directly at the back panel of television sets with minimal wiring and a single remote thereby offering customers a superior and world class experience adds the operator.

  • AL Jazeera English inks distribution deal with Airtel Digital TV

    AL Jazeera English inks distribution deal with Airtel Digital TV

    MUMBAI: In a bid to expand its distribution network in India, Al Jazeera English has signed a distribution agreement with Airtel Digital TV.

     

    The channel will be available on the Airtel Digital TV’s channel no. 321. With this partnership, Al Jazeera English will now be accessible on all major Direct to Home (DTH) platforms such as Dish TV, Tata Sky, Reliance and Airtel Digital TV in India.

     

    Al Jazeera Media Network executive director, marketing and distribution Abdulla Al Najjar said, “We are very pleased with this agreement. We have a strategic commitment to employ new avenues and platforms for audiences across the world to access our content. We look forward to delivering Al Jazeera English’s ground-breaking content for audiences across India with such partnerships.”

     

    Al Jazeera English’s association with Airtel Digital TV will allow them to cater to its users on the network. Viewers will now be able to access Al Jazeera’s award winning news and programme content from around the world. Globally, Al Jazeera English is available in over 260 million households across 130 countries.

     

    Launched in November 2011 in India, Al Jazeera English is known for its belief in the shared humanity of the global community, and as a result keeps real people at the centre of the story.