ITV

Tag: Anil Dua

  • Dish TV-Videocon d2h to bank on economies of scale

    Dish TV-Videocon d2h to bank on economies of scale

    MUMBAI: The  long-awaited fusion of Dish TV and Videocon d2h  finally saw the light of day  on 22 March 2018. The pioneer in the direct-to-home (DTH) sector, Dish TV, and the fast-growing Mumbai-hqed and Dhoot family promoted service came together making Dish TV Videocon  d2h the largest pay TV operator in India and among  the top three in the world.

    The merged TV distirbution platform  will benefit from economies of scale while leveraging the individual strengths of the two services. One of the biggest attractions for the Jawahar Goel and Essel group promoted Dish TV as the acquirer was Videocon’s significantly higher average revenue per user (ARPU) as compared to Dish TV. While the former had an ARPU  of Rs 210, the latter’s ARPU stood at Rs 155-160. The combined ARPU is expected to be Rs 180. Owing to competition from Free Dish and other operational roadblocks, Dish TV had a lower ARPU but things are on the upswing, according to Dish TV CFO Rajeev Dalmia.

    Going forward, the acquirer, Dish TV, plans to keep the two brands independent in order to explore the regional opportunities as stated by Dish TV group CEO Anil Dua in an interaction with Indiantelevision.com.

    For any merger of this magnitude, integration is a big challenge and Dish TV is no exception. To ease matters, the company is concentrating on cultural integration in a bid to get the ship in order. The management undertook a cultural survey with 2000 participants so as to ease the pain of integration. Though still it has only been more than a month since the merger, the two operators’ office premises, logistics and warehouses have already been combined. Dua reiterated that the combined entity would draw synergies to the tune of Rs 510 crore through revenue aggregation and cost savings.

    In case of geographical capability, both brands bring different strengths to the table. The consolidated entity is expected to become a pan-India behemoth with its combined 29 million subscribers with Dish TV contributing with 16 million subscribers and Videocon d2h pitching in with  13 million users as on 31 March 2018.

    “Dish TV’s has always had benchmark content cost in the industry while Videocon’s content cost has been on the higher side,” said Dua acknowledging the disparity. Dish TV’s cost of content is 30-31 per cent of subscription revenue currently while the number for Videocon is higher at 36 per cent. He pointed out that the combined cost of content will be lower and hover around 30 per cent. “We want to maintain the cost of content as a percentage of total revenue—including advertising, carriage fees, value-added services along with other income—for the combined entity at 28 per cent,” added Dalmia.

    One of the key blocks of the merger is restructuring and assigning promising personnel to important positions. The management, which conspicuously does not feature anyone from Videocon, has appointed two marketing heads—one for each brand. Dish TV has put in place a common business head for North India and East India for the brands while also having a common business head for South India and West India.

    “We have one national service head for a common model of service across the country. Moreover, Ranjit Singh will continue to be the legal head for both brands,” Dua pointed out.

    Post merger, Dish TV wants to exploit the regional strengths without limiting the strength of the individual brands. The DTH operator has retained two independent brands as they have two marketing heads and two separate sales teams for each brand.

    Also Read:

    Videocon d2h, Dish TV merger comes to fruition

    Dish TV announces fresh Videocon d2h Nasdaq delisting date

  • DishTV TVC: SRK lets cat out of bag about ‘automatic HD’ at no extra cost

    DishTV TVC: SRK lets cat out of bag about ‘automatic HD’ at no extra cost

    NEW DELHI: Dish TV, which recently decided to launch its “HD for all” initiative breaking barriers that made HD niche and effectively making it a mass product, has now released a television commercial ‘Har Dish HD’ featuring Shah Rukh Khan that takes away all inhibitions involved in switching from SD to HD, bridging the gap between both subscribers.

    The TVC communicates Dish TV’s innovative proposition of offering HD channels along with all its popular packs starting as low as Rs.169+ taxes.

    The TVC has been set in a typical Indian household where all decisions keep family at the centre and the woman of the house is involved. The TVC opens with the man of the house boasting about taking a new Dish TV connection with HD for the family. The USP of five times better picture quality than a standard resolution quickly grabs everyone’s attention except for the mother who is concerned that her son has bought something expensive. While the protagonist claims that no expense is enough for the family, the exciting reality of it actually being at no extra cost is laid bare by an ad coming on TV where Shah Rukh Khan reveals Dish TV’s new HD for all initiative wherein all Dish TV customers will automatically get HD.

    Dish TV Group CEO Anil Dua said, “Our new initiative of “HD for All” now goes further with an insightful and entertaining ad campaign “Har Dish HD”. The campaign takes the conversation of having HD to the living room of the Indian family. Our latest TVC showcases not only how DishTV brings the entire family together but also how it raises the quality of their entertainment experience.”

    DishTV SVP – marketing Sukhpreet Singh says, “The new TVC encourages people to experience HD without having to pay anything more. The launch of HD for all initiative will lead to several first-time trials of HD and subsequently lead to upgradations.”

    The campaign targets young decision-makers of the house who aspire for HD but are restricted by their perception. DishTV TVC informs them that HD is now available “automatically.”

    The film, conceptualised by the ad agency Enormous Brands, celebrates the relationship between various members of a family and brings alive the concept of watching TV together. The campaign will be spread across all media.

    “Television has always been the centrepiece of all household conversations and gatherings. When people sit together, many interesting family dynamics create a new story every day. We wanted to capture such interesting scenarios to tell a story about the product,” said Enormous Brands co-founder Ashish Khazanchi.

  • DishTV introduces Cooking Active with celebrity chefs

    DishTV introduces Cooking Active with celebrity chefs

    NEW DELHI: Asia’s largest DTH platform DishTV , in association with One Take Media Co, has launched a new active service — Cooking active.

    Cooking Active will have classic and innovative recipes catering to meals and snacks. It will have both, vegetarian and non-vegetarian cuisines.

    The Chef Special section is powered by the celebrity chef Ranveer Brar. The other sections would have recipes handpicked by the chefs. Under Smart Cooking, India’s known and most enjoyed culinary dishes, desserts and the signature spicy curries etc. will be on display.

    The launch of Cooking Active seeks to position DishTV as a service which not only provides entertainment but also opportunities to learn. Valued subscribers of DishTV can subscribe to Smart Cooking by sending a missed call to 18002700283 from their registered calling number.

    With features like Smart Cooking, DishTV Cooking Active Service will put up classic recipes ranging from full course meals to snacks. Under this service, India’s most celebrated preparations, desserts and spicy curries will be showcased.

    The Chef Special section is powered by celebrity chef Aditya Bal, Vicky Ratnani, Ajay Chopra, Bhairav Singh, NileshLimaye and many more further other sections would see handpicked recipes across the regions that are sure to tingle one’s taste buds.

    Dish TV Group CEO Anil Dua said: “With the launch of Cooking Active, we are strengthening our proposition of being more than a provider of regular TV channels. It is our constant endeavour to offer the widest range of content and services to our subscribers. We are pleased to join hands with One Take Media for launching cooking active on the DishTV platform and we are sure that this service will surely add to their element of delight.”

  • Dish TV presses HD button; introduces new cardless set top box

    Dish TV presses HD button; introduces new cardless set top box

    NEW DELHI: HD ahoy! That’s the flag that India’s leading DTH operator the Essel group owned DishTV has been waving for quite some time. And now it is doing it again. In a move to encourage wary Indian TV viewers to switch from a standard definition (SD) to high definition (HD) connection, it has announced a campaign, which it has labeled “HD for all initiative.” Under this, it says it will stop providing SD boxes, and will now only ship HD ones to subscribers.

    “The HD space has been fast evolving, making significant in-roads into Indian households,” says Dish TV CEO Anil Dua. “With a sharp focus on HD, this move aims at bridging the gap between the SD and HD subscribers and taking away the inhibitions involved in switching from SD to HD. Our endeavor is to increase affinity with our audiences by providing them HD viewing experience.”

    Currently, India has around 12.8 million HD households; Dish TV hopes this push will more than double this subscriber base to 25-30 million s in the next five to six years.

    The company has also launched a new cardless HD set top box (STB) branded Dish NXT HD which has a starting price of Rs 1,500 with primary SD packs. It claims that the new box gives five times better picture quality, 5.1 suroound sound, and a whole new user Interface and graphics and multilingual support. Additionally, it comes equipped with an integrated smart chip technology to enable users to interact and tune-in to their television in a smarter way. A universal remote and a recorder come included with the box. The cardless feature eliminates the need of a separate viewing card for clutter free experience and faster performance.

    Points out Dua: “The new DishNXT HD STB will lead to a rapid rise in HD consumption. It will also encourage subsequent upgradation to full HD experience, thereby expanding overall HD viewership and boosting our revenues.”

    “As part of our festive offering, this latest innovation has been designed keeping in mind the evolving needs of our discerning customers and to enable an end to end entertainment experience,” adds Dish TV senior vice president marketing Sukhpreet Singh.” With the new clean, intuitive user Interface, fast navigation and ease of controls, DishNXT HD is a game changer in DTH entertainment, offering unmatched HD TV viewing experience.”

    Apart from this STB, it is also flogging its DishNXT HD Premium box which has a starting price of Rs 1,750 and can offer all 66 HD channels.

    Recently, the satellite provider had launched a Mera Apna Pack that allowed customers to choose their HD channels at a sticker price of Rs 17 plus GST as part of its popular packs. The company says this is partially in keeping with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)’s tariff order as it empowers consumers and provides content as per customer choice.

    Amongst the packs it is offering currently include:

    * Priced at Rs 169, Swagat offers 210 channels.

    *The Super Family Pack offers 337 channels at Rs 250 per month.

    *The Maxi Sports Pack offers 342 channels at Rs 290 per month.

    *The All Sports Pack offers 387 channels at a sticker price of Rs 330 per month.

    *The World Pack has a bouquet of 400 plus channels and is priced at Rs 380 per month.

    * The Platinum Pack has a bouquet of 418 channels at Rs 475 channels per month.

    All these packs have a freebie offer going on currently: seven HD channels are being offered at no cost to customers. The free HD channels include: Zee TV HD, Colors HD, &TV HD, Zee Cineam HD, &Picture HD, Cineplex HD and MTV Beats HD.

  • Adi, your DishTV virtual tech-assistant, joins today

    Adi, your DishTV virtual tech-assistant, joins today

    NEW DELHI: Zee Group’s Dish TV, which has sprung into action over the past few weeks to protect its status as Asia’s largest direct-to-home platform, has now launched an Advanced DishTV interface’ (ADI). ADI world’s first AI-enabled pay-tv chatbot to enhance customer experience and offer a user-friendly interface.

    The move comes even as the ministry of information and broadcasting is insisting on complaint redressal system following a Supreme Court judgment earlier this year.

    Built for redressal and service lifecycle management, ADI provides a virtual interface that acts as a one stop solution window to subscribers, and guides them instantly to address their queries. It is an Omni-channel interface with customer experience as a core tenet, strengthening DishTV’s position as an innovator in the DTH space. It can enable quick recharges and answer millions of customer queries across multiple channels instantly.

    It is designed to process user requests, powered by deep analytics and its artificial intelligence engine. It enhances customer service through personalized and immediate answers that are available 24×7 and are constantly evolving to become more relevant and accurate for the users. Users converse with ADI in a personal setting, just like they would with family/friends.

    According to Dish TV, it provides a landscape to move from personalization to individualization at massive scale, harnessing the power of big data.

    Dish TV group CEO Anil Dua said, “Relevance in the digital age requires connecting with customers across multiple channels while maintaining the information accuracy along with ease of interaction. With the launch of ‘ADI’, customers can get information on our products and services instantaneously and will be able to recharge, troubleshoot or order a connection on the go. ADI will also encourage those customers who may not be very comfortable navigating the traditional web space. With digital platforms gaining popularity across industries, ADI will enable us to reach out to a wide spectrum of customers, and serve them better with both speed and accuracy.”

    ADI appears as a pop-up feature on the website and introduces itself as “Adi, your DishTV virtual assistant.” One can initiate a conversation by simply entering a message that transforms into rich personalized experience, delivering real-time responses, timely and pertinent to one’s DishTV account. It gives solutions to problems concerning recharge offers, current balance, add-on service upgrades, or any other glitches like unsubscribed channel or lost signals or Smart Card related issues. All the subscriber needs is an 11-digit VC number or one’s registered mobile number, and the rest will be taken care of.”

    ADI is available on desktop and mobile platforms currently and would soon be available on other platforms like Facebook and Twitter. It is a step towards true engagement with customers that goes beyond mere “clicks”, and helps them cut through the clutter to view offerings relevant to them. It also relieves the customers from the effort of calling the customer care or visiting the dealer stores for recharges.

  • DishTV hires Reliance Cap’ Kataria as HR chief

    DishTV hires Reliance Cap’ Kataria as HR chief

    MUMBAI: DishTV has appointed Pushkar Singh Kataria, as Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) with immediate effect.

    In his new role, Kataria will be responsible for reshaping the organisational structure. He will also provide strategic leadership, oversee talent management and drive HR excellence. The announcement comes ahead of DishTV and Videocon’s merger post which Kataria will be leading the HR operations of the merged entity — Dish TV Videocon Limited.

    Prior to joining DishTV, he served as the chief people officer and President at Reliance Capital.

    DishTV group CEO Anil Dua stated: “Having worked across all specialized areas of the HR domain, he comes with solid experience. With DishTV at the cusp of significant transformation, this experience should stand us in good state, on both business and employee fronts. Kataria’s leadership and dynamism will help us steer future growth in this new phase of our journey.”

    With over 20 years of experience in the industry, Kataria has worked in various organizations such asReliance Capital, Vedanta Resources and Praxair. Kataria brings in understanding and knowledge about the industry, and showcases expertise in many aspects of human resources management including organisational development, talent management and performance management. He has also introduced several change management initiatives.

    Kataria, an engineer by training, has done his post-graduation in HR. His interests includes travelling and cricket.

  • Dish TV partly adopts ‘game changer’ tariff order of TRAI

    MUMBAI: It’s seeking to make a point. Even as the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI’s) TV tariff order is going through the motions in Indian courts, the Essel group-owned Dish TV India has announced that it is going to toe – if at least partly – its line.

    It has announced a new initiative called ‘Mera Apna Pack’ under which subscribers can opt for standard definition channels at an a la carte rate of just Rs 8.50 each in addition to their basic service pack that they have subscribed. For high definition channels, the sticker price has been pegged at Rs 17 per channel. Dish TV has on its platform more than 615 channels and services including 30 audio channels and over 67 HD channels and services.

    Says Dish TV India group CEO Anil Dua: “We are delighted to enable them to exercise the freedom of choice in viewing their favorite television content. This initiative will truly empower consumers to choose from the bouquet of channels and pay for only those channels that they would like to watch. This will also be in tune with TRAI’s new tariff regulations, an attempt to make channel pricing flexible yet affordable.”

  • DishTV launches Disney active service

    MUMBAI: They woke up a little late. Even though summer vacation is coming to a close, DishTV, Asia’s largest DTH service provider, and Disney India have announced the launch of Disney Active. Disney Active is available on Channel No. 966 on Dish TV.

    Disney Active, a fun and engaging service, brings home the magical world of Disney through a host of read-along-e-books and games.

    Disney has a legacy of timeless stories and characters and there is no better way to experience them than on one’s personal television. The audio-visual read-along stories are customised for children aged three and up, and will include Mickey & Friends, Disney Princess, Frozen, The Jungle Book, Disney. Pixar Cars, Toy Story and much more.

    The games feature classic Disney characters like Mickey & Friends, Tinker Bell and more. This service is available for free till 10 June, 2017, for all Dish TV subscribers, after which it will be available at an introductory price of Rs 40 per month.

    DishTV group CEO Anil Dua said, “Value added services has been a focus area, a clear differentiator and an integral part of our offering. We are delighted to announce our specialty offering targeted at the youngest generation. Kids segment is an area which is constantly in focus for us. Launch of Disney Active service is yet another step for us to enhance our value added services portfolio and cater to our subscribers. After having received a positive response to our earlier services, we take immense pleasure in now announcing the launch of Disney Active Service.”

    Disney India VP & head – media networks & interactive Abhishek Maheshwari said, “At Disney, we constantly strive to offer quality content to our consumers on their platform of choice. We are delighted to work with DishTV to launch the Disney Active service comprising games and stories. We do hope children enjoy this compelling content.”

  • DishTV adds two channels, takes total count to 620

    MUMBAI: While continuing the legacy to provide the best entertainment platform to its subscribers, Dish TV, Asia’s largest DTH brand has extended its collection by adding 2 new channels to its portfolio. With accumulation of “Mirror Now and Multiplex”. DishTV takes the total count of its channels and services to more than 620. 

    Being a trusted brand since five years now, DishTV keeps the entertainment quotient higher. With the addition of these channels they gauge to multiple genres namely; Mirror now for news, and Multiplex for Bollywood lovers. Details of the channels as follows:

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    Commenting on these additions DishTV India group CEO Anil Dua said, “We at DishTV have been at the forefront in enhancing TV viewing experience and exploring opportunities to bring wholesome entertainment to the audience. With a sharp focus on content, the move aims at connecting strongly to provide the best of entertainment to our subscribers. Addition of these two channels will not only strengthen our presence but will also diversify our offerings.”

    Further, keeping up the idea of providing the best of entertainment in industry DishTV recently added Arnab Goswami’s news channel “Republic TV” on their platform. Also, enhancing the kid’s genre, the largest DTH operator added “Sony YAY” to its platform last month. Both the channels will be available on LCN number 771 and 989 respectively.

  • Dish TV India ropes in marketing heavyweight Anil Dua as group CEO

    MUMBAI: There’s change at the top at Dish TV India. The DTH firm late last night announced (to the Bombay stock exchange) the appointment of FMCG and consumer durable marketing veteran Anil Dua as its group CEO. He will be replacing current CEO Arun Kapoor who was leading the company for the past 18 months.

    Dish TV said it was bringing in Dua as another leading DTH player Videocon d2h is undergoing an amalgamation with it, which would create a gigantic cable and satellite distribution platform with around 28.1 million subs (as of December 2016). Dua is expected to work closely with Dish TV CMD Jawahar Goel and lead the future merged entity. He carries with him a stellar track record as an astute brand builder, marketer, with a sharp focus on customer experience and supply chain and strategy working with companies such as Hero Motorcorp, Unilever, and Gillette. His specialty has been transformation and building brands of scale.

    During his earlier eight year stint with Hero Motorcorp during which he looked after its advertising, marketing and sales and distribution network, Dua more than trebled the company’s turnover and market cap. Dua also worked at Hindustan Uniiever and helped streamline its foods distribution pipeline. His last outing was as managing director of the diversified Middle east group OTE.

    “We welcome Anil and are confident that his experience will further add to our capability and will help lead the company on a faster growth path,” said Goel in a press release. “His experience in brand building and distribution will add immense value to our organization.”

    Dua on his part is quoted in the release as stating that he was excited with the action in the DTH space and with the opportunity that has been given to him. “I look forwarding to leveraging my experience and working together with the DishTV team in realising their lofty vision,” he said.

    Kapoor, meanwhile, is going to be with Dish TV until the completion of the merger, following which he is expected to go back to teaching MBA students apart from venturing into social work. The proposed merger recently got the Competition Commission of India’s nod for it and the companies are following the process of getting the go ahead from to the National Company Law Tribunal.