ITV

Tag: DTH operator

  • Dish TV approves raising funds up to Rs 1000 crore

    Dish TV approves raising funds up to Rs 1000 crore

    Mumbai: The Board of Directors of Dish TV, in their meeting on 24 July 2024, approved raising funds up to Rs 1,000 crore through equity shares, convertible bonds, or debentures, in one or more phases. They also sanctioned the establishment of a wholly-owned subsidiary in India.

    The subsidiary will operate under a name approved by the relevant authority, focusing on distributing products and services through a robust digital platform and offering related services. The name of the subsidiary is pending approval from the concerned authorities. It will have a proposed capital of Rs 10 lakh and would infuse the same amount towards the company’s share capital.

    In a regulatory filing, Dish TV stated that the Board has granted initial approval to explore and initiate the fundraising process through various permissible means under applicable laws. This includes issuing equity shares, convertible bonds, debentures, warrants, preference shares, FCCBs, or any other equity-linked securities. The fundraising amount will not exceed Rs 1,000 crore, to be conducted in one or more installments, subject to necessary approvals.

  • Tata Sky launches Maharashtra focused campaign with Nana Patekar

    Tata Sky launches Maharashtra focused campaign with Nana Patekar

    Mumbai: DTH operator and pay-TV platform Tata Sky has rolled out a new Maharashtra-focused campaign featuring actor Nana Patekar.

    The ad film conceptualised by Ogilvy India has taken a spin on the colloquial Marathi phrases ‘Ugich Kashaala.’

    “With our new Maharashtra focused campaign, we not only highlight the distinct benefits of Tata Sky but also play on one of the most popular regional catchphrases i.e., Ugich Kashaala, to communicate that instead of needlessly postponing the decision, it is time for you to get a Tata Sky connection,” said Tata Sky chief communications officer Anurag Kumar.

    The brand highlights the convenience of watching live TV on the Tata Sky mobile app long with TV instead of fighting over the TV remote control.

    “This campaign is a great demonstration of how a culturally-rooted idea can be created to solve a business problem. We got Nana Patekar as the society’s favourite ‘Anna’ for admonishing people in his trademark style for asking Ugach Kashala Tata Sky?” said Ogilvy India chief creative officer Sukesh Nayak.

  • Pandemic drags down DishTV India’s FY’21 financials

    MUMBAI: India’s first DTH operator Dish TV India continues to slog it out to get out of the financial quagmire it has got itself into. That’s despite the fact that the company  has seen a loss of subscribers in its latest quarter ended 31 March 2021 and for the full year, its top line has dipped even as it continues to report losses. According to its audited Q4 FY 21 results released yesterday, Dish TV India  has reported consolidated subscription revenues of Rs  685.2 crore (Rs 776.6 crore in Q4 FY’20) and operating revenues of Rs  751.7 crore (Rs 869.06 crore). EBITDA for the quarter was Rs 426 crore (Rs 543.2 crore). Net loss was Rs 1415.3 crore as against a loss of Rs 1456.2 crore  in the same quarter last year.

    Subscription revenues for the whole year have fallen from Rs 3192.8 crore in FY ’20 to Rs 2987.4 crore in FY’21, even  as operating revenues saw a reduction to Rs 3249.4 crore as against Rs 3556.3 crore in FY20.  EBITDA for the full year fell to Rs 2017 crore as against Rs 2106 crore in FY’20. However, to its credit, it has reduced the red ink on its bottomline to Rs 1189.9 crore as against Rs 1654.8 crore in the previous financial year.

    What helped it shore up its performance in the latest financial year is its hard focus on shaving expenditure which it has reduced by 15 per cent to Rs 1232.4 crore as against Rs 1450.4 crore in FY ’20.  

    Dish TV management said the company has been hit by the sporadic lockdowns due to the ongoing pandemic during the year and the last quarter. “The later part of the fourth quarter saw re-emergence of urban to rural migration, amongst migrant workers. The sporadic lockdowns have left many in the aspiring class with reduced disposable incomes while taking a toll on overall consumer confidence. Subscriber churn, thus remained on the higher side during the quarter and full year,” said Dish TV India group CEO Anil Dua in a press release.

    Additionally, the company largely relied on internal cash flows for capital expenditure and for debt reduction. Hence, it kept a tight rein on capital expenditure which in turn limited new subscriber additions, and when compounded with high subscriber churn, it  led to a net reduction in its subscriber base.

    Overall, Dish TV repaid Rs 213 crore of its debt in the quarter, reducing its loan  exposure to Rs 809.9 crore at end FY’21 as against  Rs 1817.5 crore at end FY20.  

    Said Dish TV chairman & managing director Jawahar Goel: “The year gone by was difficult but has left us stronger with all the innovations and process improvements in place. However, with continuing uncertainties, we maintain a cautious stand. A strong balance sheet boosts confidence in such tough times and our focus on paying down debt and other liabilities is in that direction only.”

    Dua said that investors need to take heart about the positive manner in which Dish TV has pivoted to take advantage of the opportunities that the pandemic has thrown up. “Effectively, the pandemic rushed the need to innovate. Be it artificial intelligence for resolving customer complaints, enabling work-from home for customer care agents and employees, developing set-top-boxes and other key accessories in India, moving trade partners to a fully digital recharge mode or upgrading our OTT platform, Watcho, we rose to the challenges thrown by the trying year while touching new highs in EBITDA margins.”

    What according to the two of them shows promise is the growth in sign-ons to DishTV’s OTT service Watcho to 25 million by FY 21 year end as against just a million users in January 2020.  Said Dua: “At Dish TV India, it has always been our endeavor to meet the entertainment needs of all our subscribers all the time. Watcho is a step in that direction and delivers a seamless, streaming entertainment experience to viewers through future ready technology and diverse content.”

    Dua is quite optimistic about the company’s fortunes pointing to the important role TV continues to play in viewers lives in India, and believes that a revival in discretionary spending, due to economic activity normalizing going forward, will improve business revenues. The company is going ahead with the procedures relating to raising funds through a rights issue totting up to Rs 1,000 crore.

  • Tata Sky decreases price of SD and HD set top boxes

    Tata Sky decreases price of SD and HD set top boxes

    MUMBAI: In a bid to woo customers DTH player Tata Sky has slashed the prices of its set-top boxes (STB) again. The new price of SD STBs is Rs 1399 and that of HD STBs has dropped to Rs 1499, according to reports.

    Previously, the SD variant of Tata Sky STB was available for Rs 1600 whereas the HD variant was available for Rs 1800. Moreover, as compared to the other players in the space, the price of Tata Sky’s STB was higher, thus the player made a move to decrease its prices.

    About 10 days ago, rival Dish TV had also reduced the prices of its STBs by Rs 50 and was also offering a month-long free HD connection.

    Recently, Tata Sky had discontinued its multi-TV policy and so consumers had to pay a full new cost for a new STB in the same house.

    Months after it launched its multi-TV app, the DTH operator had discontinued the feature from 15 June and every TV connection was to be billed separately. Even as Tata Sky decided to revert to its previous mode of operation, other DTH operators went the other way by launching offers for multiple TV sets, in line with TRAI regulations. The DTH operator did not reveal the reason for the shift.

  • Dish TV waives off 30-day lock-in period for pay channels, channel bouquets

    Dish TV waives off 30-day lock-in period for pay channels, channel bouquets

    MUMBIA: India’s biggest direct-to-home operator Dish TV has waived off the 30-day lock-in period for pay channels and select channel bouquets it had levied earlier.

    This lock-in period, which was earlier introduced by the DTH operator, prevented consumers from unsubscribing to a channel they had opted for until the duration of the lock-in period.

    Consumers can now drop and opt for channels without these restrictions.

    According to some subscribers, however, there is no change made to the seven-day lock-in period for sports channels.

    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).

    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 5 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.

    Earlier in the week a report by CNBC-TV18 claimed that Singapore Telecommunications Ltd (Singtel) and Bharti Airtel are jointly looking to buy a stake in Dish TV in a bid to compete with Reliance Jio.

    The duo is looking to acquire the promoter’s 60 per cent stake in Dish TV for around Rs 6150 crore. As part of Bharti Airtel’s plan to raise $4.6 billion, Singtel is likely to buy stock in it worth $525 million through shares and bonds.

    GIC, the parent company of Singtel via Temasek Holdings, also owns about 20 per cent in Tata Sky and could hint at a future possibility of further consolidation in the DTH sector.

  • Tata Sky announces special price slabs for multiple TV connections

    Tata Sky announces special price slabs for multiple TV connections

    MUMBAI: Tata Sky has recently announced special price slabs for customers with multiple TV connections. According to reports, the company is considering removing the network capacity fee, service charges and Tata Sky Binge service charge with the primary pack price as part of the new plan.

    The move is aimed at offering relief to customers who use multiple TV sets and separate connections. The DTH operator also announced that it will charge customers variable prices for their multiple connections.

    The primary connection pack price will be considered for calculation of multi TV prices, exclusive of network fee, Tata Sky service charges and Tata Sky Binge service charge. The company is claiming Rs 153 per month for the first 100 channels and Rs 23 per month for every slab of 25 additional channels. Both the prices are inclusive of all taxes.

    The company said, “One HD channel shall be treated equal to two SD channels for the purpose of calculating the number of channels within the distribution network capacity subscribed.”

  • TRAI to DTH operators: Honour commitment on long-duration packs

    TRAI to DTH operators: Honour commitment on long-duration packs

    MUMBAI: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Wednesday asked DTH operators to honour pre-paid commitment on ongoing long-duration packs of consumers (if they want). TRAI chairman RS Sharma also reiterated that there would be no change in the February 1 deadline for consumer migration to its new tariff regime.

    According to a report by news agency PTI, Sharma statted that if a DTH subscriber with a long duration pack wants to choose new channels mid-way, then the balance amount should be adjusted by operator. He also expressed his confidence with regards to a smooth switchover without any inconvenience to viewers on the concerned day.

    The new regulatory framework by TRAI for broadcasting sector is set to overhaul the entire ecosystem. For the first time ever, consumers will be able to choose channels or packages for pay TV on their own. While the new regime puts power in the hands of consumers, many stakeholders remain sceptics about its impact.

    Moreover, the TRAI continues to face legal hurdles. While the verdict of a petition made by Tata Sky challenging the order is still pending in the Delhi High Court, Calcutta High Court on Tuesday stayed the implementation of the tariff order till 18 February.

  • Dish TV sharpens focus on Tamil Nadu

    Dish TV sharpens focus on Tamil Nadu

    MUMBAI: Despite having substantial share across all markets in South India, direct-to-home (DTH) operator Dish TV is currently focusing on Tamil Nadu as the market there affords a big pay TV opportunity. Moreover, the state is also going through digitisation, which has created more avenues for DTH players to increase their subscriber base in the state.

    Recently, Dish TV announced a plan to come up around 30 popular Tamil channels on its platform with an aim to leave customers with wider choice. In an interaction with Indiantelevision.com, Dish TV India SVP marketing Sukhpreet Singh said that Tamil Nadu has always been important for the company and is one of the top markets for the company.

    “We are a major player in every market, including the South Indian market. We have a substantial share in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, too. But we are focusing more on the Tamil market because there is more content available. At this point of time, we are focusing on the Tamil market as it is going through digitisation,” he said when asked about the company’s plan to focus on other South Indian markets.

    However, he said that being a pan-India brand, it is not fair to focus on one market over another. The company keeps figuring out what customers want in a particular state, if there’s need of more content, subscription packages or services. Currently, they are doing this for Tamil Nadu.

    Being a multi-dimensional market, Tamil Nadu has several segments of audience. One of the segment watches Tamil channels only while another one watches other South Indian language channels along with Tamil channels. Then, there are other two segments that demand Hindi and English content. The company tries to reach each of the four segments with subscription packs applicable for a particular segment.

    “We continuously keep coming up with subscription packages; recently, we launched an annual subscription package for Tamil Nadu,” Singh said. The primary means of attracting more users to the platform is providing more content. Along with that, content has to be packaged and priced correctly.

    Through promotional programmes and advertisements, Dish TV wants to keep its customers aware of all the plans. For building up the subscriber base, it is expanding distribution as well.

    “We do unique things. For example, Dish TV is the only brand that provides the option of topping of your pack with single channels also,” he said. “If a customer who basically watches Tamil content and want some English channels, they don’t have to opt for the mega pack. They can pick channels at Rs 8.5 under ‘Mera Apna Pack’ initiative. This initiative has attracted a lot of customers.”

    To increase market share, the long-term strategy is always based on better customer experience. Brand loyalty has a direct bearing on market share.

    “The number of people subscribing to our VAS (value-added services) has increased dramatically,” he added when asked about how VAS was helping Dish TV’s business.

    During the various digitisation phases, Dish TV acquired a number of customers in the state. Now, as the market has matured, like all the brands, Dish TV is also experimenting with new strategies.

  • Sun Direct partners Harmonic to add 80 HD channels

    Sun Direct partners Harmonic to add 80 HD channels

    MUMBAI: DTH operator Sun Direct (Sun) has taken up a new HEVC media processing solution from video delivery services, Harmonic, which will enable it to entertain its viewers with 80 extra HD channels.

    Using Harmonic’s Electra X2 encoder and Prostream multiplexer, Sun can stream extra channels from existing four transponders at low bitrates.

    “Today’s television viewers want exceptional video quality and a broad selection of channels. When we looked into expanding our HD service offering, we needed to partner with an expert in satellite deployments and encoding efficiency,” said Sun Group CTO S Kannan. “Harmonic enables us to deliver more channels using the same amount of transponder space so that we can focus on increasing subscriber satisfaction and revenue growth.”

    The Electra X2 uses encoding to improve video quality while its integration with ProStream enabling Sun to increase bandwidth efficiency. The ProStream processor maximises transponder savings, supporting up to 100 statmux services per platform. Sun’s entire system workflow is IP-based and controlled by Harmonic’s NMX network management system.

    “Sun Direct plans to roll out additional HD STBs this year, and Harmonic is leading the way in helping the operator capitalise on the associated higher subscription rates. They primarily chose Harmonic for outstanding encoding efficiency, pristine video quality and our long-term and continued deployment support,” said Harmonic APAC vice president sales Tony Berthaud.

  • 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.