ITV

Tag: Dish TV

  • 10.4 lakh DTH subscribers added in Oct-Dec 18 quarter in India

    10.4 lakh DTH subscribers added in Oct-Dec 18 quarter in India

    BENGALURU: In calendar year 2018 (1 January 2018 to 31 December 2018), India’s private direct to home (DTH) service providers added 29.3 lakh net subscribers of which 10.4 lakh additions were made in the last quarter of the calendar year (Oct-Dec 2018, Q3 2019, period under review).

    According to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) quarterly Indicator Reports, DTH has attained net pay active subscriber base of around  704.9 lakh (70.49 million, 7.049 crore)  with five pay DTH service providers as on 31 December, 2018. This is in addition to the subscribers of the free DTH services of Doordarshan. Quarterly growth in the DTH sector in terms of the net active subscriber base and market share of DTH operators in terms of the percentage of net active subscribers during the quarter is depicted in the following charts.

    Two major DTH players – Airtel Direct TV (Airtel DTH) and the merged Dish TV Videocon d2h entity (Dish TV) have about 55 percent of the market share of private DTH subscribers in the country. During CY 2018, these two players added 17.06 lakh (1.706 million, 0.1706 crore) subscribers, or 58.2 percent of the net subscribers that were added by all the five private DTH players in the country. Airtel DTH added 10.63 lakh (1.063 million, 0.1063 crore) net subscribers, while Dish TV added 6.43 lakh (0.643 million, 0.0643 crore) during the period under review.

    As per the latest TRAI quarterly Indicator Reports, the highest number of DTH subscribers in 2018 by private players were added in the Apr-Jun quarter with 18.4 lakh (1.84 million, 0.184 crore) subscriber additions. In the first quarter of CY 2018, the private DTH players lost 30,000 subscribers. Please refer to the figure below for the private DTH subscriber trends during CY-2018.

    Dish TV is by far the largest DTH player in the country and probably the second largest globally. As on 31 December 2018, Dish TV claimed a net active subscriber base of 236 lakh (23.6 million, 2.36 crore) while Airtel DTH claimed a net active subscriber base of 150 lakh (15 million, 1.5 crore).

    The government’s DD Free Dish DTH service claims to reach out to nearly 300 lakh (30 million) as per reports and the FICCI-EY 2019 report, it has the capability to breach the 50 million mark if broadcasters keep supplying it with pay-TV content. It must however be noted that an exact number for registered or active subscribers is not available since this is a free DTH service.

  • DTH platforms say NaMo TV a special service, content provided by BJP

    DTH platforms say NaMo TV a special service, content provided by BJP

    MUMBAI: Amid controversy surrounding NaMo TV, a channel exclusively featuring content related to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, sources within India’s top DTH operators have told Indiantelevision.com that it isn’t, in fact, a standard television channel. While a Tata Sky source said NaMo TV is a “special service with content provided by the BJP” a Dish TV spokesperson described it as an “ad sales-related service”.

    Earlier, a tweet from Tata Sky calling NaMo TV a "Hindi news service" raised several questions. However, that was soon clarified by the company.

    "NaMo TV is not a Hindi news service. If someone in the frontline at Tata Sky has tweeted or said that it is a news service, it is a mistake," Tata Sky CEO Harit Nagpal told NDTV.

    He also added that NaMo TV "does not fall into any genre" and special services do not need a licence.

    Earlier, the Election Commission had sought a report from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) on NaMo TV, which was launched on 31 March.

    Throughout the week, several media reports citing MIB sources said the channel was an advertising platform that didn’t need the ministry’ licence.

    The 24-hour channel borrows PM Modi’s image for its logo and is available on all the major DTH platforms in the country.

  • Dish TV re-launches duration packs with special benefits

    Dish TV re-launches duration packs with special benefits

    MUMBAI: Amid the ongoing change in the cable and broadcasting sector, direct-to-home (DTH) operators are coming up with new plans to keep subscribers satisfied. Major DTH operator Dish TV has introduced new offers which will provide extra days of subscription with long duration packs.

    The subscribers of three months or more long duration packs will get seven extra days to their credit whereas on purchasing a long-term subscription of six months or more, they will get to enjoy 15 additional days of subscription. Moreover, users who buy a long-term plan of 11 months or more will get 30 extra days on their plan.

    Its other brand d2h had previously also introduced similar benefits on buying long-term plan but with more choices. Along with these mentioned three slabs of Dish TV, d2h users will get 60 extra days on 22 months subscription, 90 days on 33 months subscription, 120 days on 44 months subscription and 150 days on a long-term subscription of 55 months.

  • Tata Sky, Airtel Digital TV offer free Star Sports channels for IPL

    Tata Sky, Airtel Digital TV offer free Star Sports channels for IPL

    MUMBAI: In order to cash in on the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) fanfare, two DTH operators, Tata Sky and Airtel Digital TV, have decided to provide free access to all matches of 2019.

    In a message, it was revealed that from 23 March to 19 May Star Sports 1 Hindi, Star Sports 1 Tamil, Star Sports 1 Telugu, Star Sports 1 Kannada and Star Sports 1 Bangla will be available without any extra charge to Tata Sky users.

    Airtel Digital TV is also giving its users, both old and new, free access to the above channels and also Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 HD and Star Sports 1 Hindi HD. New subscribers, however, as per reports, will only get access to Star Sports 1 and Star Sports 1 Hindi till 19 May.

    It is quite likely that with two big DTH operators having named such lucrative packs, Dish TV will follow suit.

    Airtel Digital TV, Tata Sky and Dish TV have already created special packs for IPL wherein Star Sports channels are embedded into other genre packs such as Hindi, Marathi and kids.

  • IPL 2019: Tata Sky, Airtel Digital TV, Dish TV woo consumers with sports packs

    IPL 2019: Tata Sky, Airtel Digital TV, Dish TV woo consumers with sports packs

    MUMBAI: Just as the 12th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has launched, DTH operators have come up with special packs that includes Star Sports channels along with a range of channels from other genres.

    Tata Sky, Airtel Digital TV and Dish TV have launched a variety of sports packs.

    As per reports, Tata Sky has launched a Family Sports HD pack consisting of of 96 channels that costs Rs 646 per month which includes all sports channels from Star and Sony. The company is also providing SD pack for Rs 456 per month. Customers also have the choice to select other packs like Family Kids Sports and premium English Sports packs.

    Not only this, some of the regional plans, such as Marathi and Hindi basic packs, are also being offered by the DTH operator which includes Star Sports channels for Rs 338 per month.

    Likewise, Airtel Digital TV is also offering a plan, My Sports HD pack which apart from sports channels, provides SD channels across a variety of genres like news, movies, kids, and infotainment for Rs 493 per month.

    Moreover, Dish TV is offering a Maxi Sports Pack which offers sports, kids and Hindi entertainment channels at Rs 326 per month.

    Hotstar's VIP plan allows one to watch live cricket, premier league and formula 1 races. The online streaming platform is offering access to most of its premium content for the entire year for Rs 365.

     

  • Airtel Digital TV, Dish TV merger talks on

    Airtel Digital TV, Dish TV merger talks on

    MUMBAI: Sunil Bharti Mittal-led Bharti Airtel is not only scaling up its business in the broadband segment but is also trying to cement its presence in the DTH sector. Mittal has started talks with Dish TV to merge Airtel Digital TV with the leading DTH player.

    According to a report by Economic Times, the talks are now at an exploratory stage. The report also added quoting a source that the idea is to consolidate operations for facing the Jio onslaught. If the talk reaches a positive conclusion, the combined entity will be the world’s largest TV distribution company with over 38 million subscribers along with 61 per cent DTH market share in India.

    The consolidation in DTH space started with mega merger of Dish TV and Videocon d2h. Earlier, Airtel was in talks with another leading DTH player Tata Sky also but the parties could not reach any agreement.

    According to TRAI data, Dish TV combined with Videocon d2h leads with a 37 per cent market share as of September 2018 followed by Tata Sky’s 27 per cent and Airtel Digital TV stood with 24 per cent.

    In the third quarter, Dish TV had 23.6 million subscribers and it reported operating revenue of Rs 1,517.4 crore while Airtel Digital TV had 15 million subscribers with revenue of Rs 1,033 crore.  However, Airtel Digital TV’s ARPU was higher at Rs 231 compared to Dish TV’s ARPU of Rs 200.

  • Zee Media appoints Jawahar Goel as editor-in-chief

    Zee Media appoints Jawahar Goel as editor-in-chief

    MUMBAI: Jawahar Goel, younger brother of Essel Group chairman Subhash Chandra Goel and also MD of Dish TV DTH has been appointed as editor-in-chief of Zee Media Network.

    He has been "entrusted with the overall responsibility of editorial affairs of the network" according to an official email sent from Subhash Chandra's office to top executives of the conglomerate.

    Goel would be assisted by current MD Ashok Venkatramani in operational and strategic matters for the network. In addition to being appointed editor in chief of Zee Media Network, Goel will also be the chairman of the media network's 'Editorial Governing Council' which directs the main editorial policy of the network.

    All editors of the national and regional channels would report to Goel on matters regarding editorial and policy guidelines for their respective news channels.

    According to the reports, the email mentions, "As an organisation, we should also be watchful of our costs and therefore as part of the ongoing budgeting exercise, he would also be responsible for driving cost optimisation in the network in order to create a more lean and efficient organisation which is nimble on its feet and create value for its shareholders."

    This is Goel’s second stint at editorial operations at Zee Media. He also played a similar role in the early avatar of Zee TV, the news channel that started its broadcast in the early 90s.

    Zee Media Network comprises leading Hindi national news channel Zee news, an array of regional news channels, an English news channel WION and print media publication DNA.

  • DTH players eliminate network capacity fees on FTA channels

    DTH players eliminate network capacity fees on FTA channels

    MUMBAI: Major DTH players like Tata Sky, Dish TV and Sun Direct have removed the Network Capacity Fee (NCF) on free-to-air (FTA) channels above the required 100 channels, according to a report by Telecom Talk.

    Under TRAI’s new broadcast regulatory regime, the cable TV bill of users now has two components, the network capacity fee (NCF), which is Rs 130 for hundred channels and the cost of any paid channels or paid bouquets.

    Dish TV subscribers will be able to pick as many as 189 FTA channels, without paying any additional NCF — over and above the base pack charges of Rs 130 per month (excluding taxes). However, it hasn’t changed anything for the paid SD and HD channels.

    The operator now allows its subscribers to pick a range of FTA channels, without paying any additional NCF and has categorised all the available FTA channels into different packs, namely BST North with 189 channels, BST Hindi with 99 channels, BST Marathi and Gujarati with 84 channels, BST Bangla Odia with 83 channels, and BST DD Pack with 25 channels.

    Sun Direct’s website says it is offering a total of 140 channels in the back pack of Rs 130 + 18 per cent GST. The base pack also includes the 25 Doordarshan channels, which are mandatory for all cable/DTH operators to provide.

    Tata Sky is providing a limited number of channels for free beyond the designated 100.

    As per the latest framework by the Telecom and Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), customers need to pay Rs 130 to get the first 100 FTA channels. An additional network fee of Rs 20 per month is also being charged for every block of 25 paid channels.

  • Dish TV partners with Zoya Akhtar’s ‘Gully Boy’ to promote freedom of choice

    Dish TV partners with Zoya Akhtar’s ‘Gully Boy’ to promote freedom of choice

    MUMBAI: Dish TV India Limited, the world’s largest single-country DTH Company has entered into an in-film marketing association with Tiger Baby & Excel Entertainment’s forthcoming movie ‘Gully Boy’, starring Dish TV brand ambassador Ranveer Singh. Through Gully Boy, Dish TV is reiterating its commitment of giving its subscribers complete freedom of choice.

    Ahead of the release, DishTV has created a co-branded promo TVC featuring Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt. In the TVC, both the actors are seen talking about DishTV’sMeraApna Pack that allows subscribers to pick and choose channels of their choice. To further engage its customers, DishTV has also launched a Special Recharge Contest on its website. The highest online recharger of the day will stand a chance to win couple tickets to the movie and one lucky couple will get a chance to meet the movie star cast. 

    Commenting on the partnership, Mr. Sukhpreet Singh, Corporate Head- Marketing, DishTV said, “We are excited to be associated with ‘Gully Boy’ which is inspired by a real life story of a street rapper who wishes to follow his own path. This is the same belief for us at DishTV as we have truly empowered our subscribers to choose their own entertainment. Furthermore, who better to embody freedom and energy than our very own brand ambassador Ranveer Singh who is the lead actor of the movie.” 

  • Jawahar Goel expects 20% reduction in Dish TV’s content cost under new tariff regime

    Jawahar Goel expects 20% reduction in Dish TV’s content cost under new tariff regime

    MUMBAI: With the new tariff order being implemented from 1 February, India’s largest DTH operator Dish TV expects the overall content cost of the company to come down by at least 20 per cent. The DTH brand also thinks that the regulatory framework will help DTH operators to add more subscribers as many MSOs are not prepared for the implementation.

    Talking to analysts after Q3 earnings, Dish TV chairman and managing director Jawahar Goel said the company could not discuss the new payout to broadcasters because of the tariff order but which will start happening from this quarter. The new model will reset things and the veteran thinks overall content cost will reduce.

    “Currently, our pay channel cost is 35-38 per cent. In case for D2H it is roughly around 40 per cent. If we are paying Rs 2300 crore, we are expecting content cost on net basis will be around Rs 1800 crore,” he added further.

    When the management was asked about not having much impact on subscriber addition despite early undertaking of its strategy for tariff order unlike its biggest competitor Tata Sky, Dish TV India group CEO Anil Dua said it is a short term trend. He also added that the company firmly believes tariff order is good for the long run. Dua also mentioned about Mera Apna Pack on Dish TV and Mera Wala Pack on D2H which gave consumers scope to choose a channel on a-la-carte basis way before the tariff order was implemented. According to Goel, Dish TV had familiarised this new concept to almost 8 million subscribers.

    Goel also said that as customers tighten their purses, small broadcasters who don’t have price-worthy content will be forced out of the market.

    “You must have seen there are around 15-20 Hindi movie channels. They are surviving on connectivity as well as the capacity to buy content compared to lower established players. I think they will go out from the market. So, I think movie buying rights will get reset,” he added.

    The company is optimistic about subscriber addition despite the ongoing uncertainty in the last quarter. According to Goel, the lack of preparedness of MSOs will lead to channel switch offs on those platforms paving the way for DTH platforms to add more subscribers.

    Moreover, he also thinks Jio’s full entry into cable TV business may take at least another three to six months as both MSOs in which the telco giant acquired majority stakes are also prepping up for tariff order implementation. He also added that Jio has not been able to have any considerable effect on the business till now.

    However, despite being highly optimistic about the new regime, Goel is not happy with the revenue share with broadcasters. “We are not happy with this 20 per cent margin that is being given by the broadcaster. So, we are negotiating with them, talking to them. These things will start happening after the broadcaster gets first or second weekly report of their channel viewership. Thereafter the new discussion will start happening,” he commented.

    Goel also spoke on recommencement of DD Free Dish e-auction by mentioning that the most popular channels of four major broadcasters, such as Zee Pal and Star Bharat, will be withdrawn from the platform. “That is why you must have seen that in a-la-carte they are priced channels, they are no more free,” he added.