ITV

Tag: DTH

  • TRAI: Make STBs, content & telecom services disabled- friendly

    TRAI: Make STBs, content & telecom services disabled- friendly

    MUMBAI: With an aim to make communications and TV services more accessible to people with disabilities (PWDs), the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has come out with a series of recommendations, including a confusing one suggesting that 50 per cent TV channels to be developed in PWD-friendly and accessible format over the next five years.

    In its recommendations, the TRAI suggests that manufacturers maintain accessibility standards for set top boxes (STBs), mobile phones and landlines. Box makers have till 2020 to make or import at least one model in different variants in an accessible format.

    Telecom service providers (TSPs), MSOs and DTH operators have been exhorted to have special desks in their call centres/customer support to assist PWDs using assistive technologies. The call centre executives must also undergo sensitivity training to deal with their issues.

    Broadcasters, too, could well have to invest in content modification. According to TRAI, “The Authority is of the view that there should be phase-wise, time bound plans to develop percentage[s] of channels with the aim to have 50 per cent channels in accessible format in five years’ time frame. To start with, there can be five per cent [of TV] channels in accessible format in one year, 10 per cent in two years and 50 per cent in five years.”

    When Indiantelevision.com got in touch with some TV channels on the issue, most of them said this particular TRAI suggestion on percentages of the TV channels in accessible format was not clear.

    “Does TRAI mean that half of all the government-permitted TV channels would have to have closed captioning of content for PWDs, for example? Or, does it mean that a percentage of the content in a TV channel would have to be in a prescribed format? Or, does it mean that newer accessible channels or separate feeds would have to be started? As it’s difficult to have closed captioned content for news channels, for example, no matter how much a TV channel may like to be PWD-friendly, this suggestion would need further clarifications as it would mean increasing costs on making content,” a TV channel executive opined, adding, though TRAI’s intentions were laudable, an industry reeling under a slow economy would need financial incentives from the government to implement such a suggestion.

    Meanwhile, continuing with TRAI recommendations, the regulator has suggested that Department of Telecom (DoT) and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) instruct TSPs DTH operators and MSOs to conduct awareness campaigns regarding accessibility issues, design, affordability, availability of assistive tools and products, and about various government policies and schemes pertaining to accessible ICT (information, communications and telecoms) services that can be availed by PWDs.

    The government has been exhorted to take several major steps. The most important one is that all government websites need to be PWD-accessibility compliant. ICT products (computer hardware, mobile phones, STBs, etc.) procured by government agencies should be accessible to PWDs and should have associated support documentation and services inaccessible format.

    The government has been suggested to mandate the device manufacturers/importers not to curtail the accessibility features available in popular operating systems in any manner from their devices whether manufactured locally or imported.

    Suggestions by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) such as products and tariff plan specific to PWDs, appropriate customer care service, adding closed captioning, audio description, etc. should be taken up in India as well, TRAI has observed.

    As mobile phones have become an integrated part of modern lifestyle, accessible handset for PWD citizens is also a necessity. According to TRAI, mobile handset manufacturers, who produce five or more than five different models, should produce at least one mobile handset satisfying accessibility criteria for PWDs at least by the end of 2020.

    The regulatory body has recommended a steering committee, comprising various government agencies and ministries, for a timely review of accessibility of ICT services to PWDs. The committee will look into other areas, including fund requirements and collaboration with state governments, the regulator has suggested.

    However, there’s a catch to this set of recommendations. As the issue was taken up suo-moto by TRAI, it needs to be seen whether MIB and DoT, for example, accept these recommendations of the regulator in any format at all as the two government organisations themselves are part of another panel looking into issues relating to PWDs vis-à-vis ICT services.

  • Launch of SES-12 to assist Digital India vision

    Launch of SES-12 to assist Digital India vision

    MUMBAI: The successful launch of SES-12, which provides coverage over Asia will assist the acceleration of the country’s push towards a digital India and financial inclusion initiatives, according to a leading satellite industry expert as per a report by the Press Trust of India from London.

    SES Video EVP global sales Deepak Mathur said, “The successful launch of SES-12 recently would help support India’s growing direct-to-home (DTH) TV market, as more and more consumers in rural India embrace the medium.”

    The government’s vision to digitally empower India and transform connectivity in the country will see a push through the launch of the satellite, Mathur informed.

    The senior executive at SES, one of the world’s leading satellite operators, also pointed out that the satellite’s concentrated beams could also provide highly cost-effective capacity to enable in-flight connectivity services in line with the recent directive to allow mobile and internet services in Indian airspace by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.

    SES-12, which is uniquely designed with state-of-the-art wide beams and high throughput beams, was successfully launched onboard a flight-proven SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida, US, on 4 June 2018. Together with SES-8, it is expected to reach 18 million homes.

    This satellite will provide coverage from the Middle East to Australia. The combination of two satellites will offer powerful Ku-band wide beams for broadcast and media applications, and high throughput spot beams for providing internet connectivity, reliable cellular services and content targeted at specific language groups.

    The ever-increasing demand of audience will be addressed by the pay-TV operators as the satellite will provide reliability and scalability to elevate the viewing experience by adding more content and delivering good picture quality for high definition (HD) and ultra HD content.

    Mathur explained, “With its dual capabilities of both wide beams and high throughput spot beams, SES-12 will serve to enhance connectivity for people and businesses in remote and unconnected parts across Asia, where providing rural connectivity and eliminating the digital divide is a key priority for many governments. SES-12 also brings augmented capacity to enable satellite broadcasting and DTH services across Asia-Pacific.”

    Specifically over India, SES has five satellites – NSS-12, SES-8, NSS-6, SES-7 and SES-9 – currently operational. SES-12 will be replacing NSS-6 as the largest satellite to offer services and capacity over India.

    The company’s primary customer in the Indian market is Antrix, the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), with whom it has worked to help augment the enormous demand for satellite connectivity over India.

    Mathur also mentioned that ISRO has a pivotal role to play in the development of new space technologies and in making space more accessible, and affordable. SES is also exploring potential areas of collaboration with Indian partners to see how they both can work together to advance the development of space technologies.

  • After consistent rise, DTH subscribers fall in Jan-Mar quarter

    After consistent rise, DTH subscribers fall in Jan-Mar quarter

    MUMBAI: After a consistent upward trend, total active DTH pay-TV subscribers in India dropped slightly during the January-March quarter this year. The overall active subscriber numbers dropped to 67.53 million from 67.56 million.

    Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) quarterly performance indicator indicated that in 2017, six pay DTH operators had added 4.91 million net pay active subscribers reaching the base of 67.56 million.

    While there were six DTH players earlier, the merger of Dish TV and Videocon d2h reduced the number to five. Following the merger Dish TV has the lion’s share standing at 43 per cent. Tata Sky (25 per cent), Airtel DTH (21 per cent), Sun Direct (10 per cent) and Reliance Digital TV (one per cent) follow the leader with respective shares. Tata Sky’s share has increased but Reliance Digital TV’s share has dropped.

    The quarter had 308 pay channels including 213 SD pay TV channels and 95 HD pay TV channels as reported by 49 broadcasters. Five new pay channels including Zee Cinemalu HD, Zee Telugu HD, Zee Kannada HD, Colors Tamil HD, and Discovery Jeet HD commenced during the quarter ending 31 March 2018.

    Also Read :

    Uplink, downlink issue: TRAI pushes for a liberal regime keeping most existing norms unchanged

    Third Madras high court judge gives TRAI tariff order thumbs up

  • Dish TV targets double customer base in Tamil Nadu

    Dish TV targets double customer base in Tamil Nadu

    MUMBAI: The leading direct-to-home (DTH) brand Dish TV wants to strengthen its customer base in Tamil Nadu, the biggest market for the company. With the hope of nearly doubling customer base in the state, the company is already building up stronger presence by launching new packages and an advertising campaign.

    The Hindu Business Line reported that it also expects a 35-40 per cent increase in revenues. The revenue from the state for the merged entity of Videocon d2h and Dish TV in last financial year was Rs 550 crore. As the state is going through digitisation, there are high chances of the company’s growth in Tamil Nadu where it currently has a customer base of nearly 1.5 million.

    As reported by the publication, the company announced to offer 65 popular Tamil channels in the state from Friday. A 360-degree advertisement campaign called ‘Surprise Machi’ is also in the store which will be rolled out soon. It will also offer five new base packs based on the language the customer speaks.

    Dish TV India senior vice president-marketing Sukhpreet Singh thinks there’s no threat from state-run Arasu Cable TV. The state government-owned network is gradually increasing its penetration across the state. Singh thinks there’s enough scope for DTH players to convert 8 million analogue receivers using customers into digital.

    Also Read:

    Dish TV offers SD channels at Rs 8.5 per month

    Dish TV sharpens focus on Tamil Nadu

  • Impending tariff order implementation pushes Dish TV to sign short-term contracts

    Impending tariff order implementation pushes Dish TV to sign short-term contracts

    MUMBAI: Keeping in mind the recent Madras High Court judgement in regard to tariff order and interconnect regulation, India’s largest direct to home (DTH) brand Dish TV India is now focussin on short-term deals. As the recent judgement brought tariff-order closer to the reality, the DTH brand’s move has factored in the impending  tariff order implementation.

    The recent judgement upheld the order of Chief Justice Indira Banerjee, giving a green signal to  TRAI’s powers to frame tariff for the broadcasting sector. It has helped TRAI move forward to create a transparent and non-regulatory framework.

    According to media reports, Dish TV chairman and managing director Jawahar Goel spoke about the short-term contracts while talking to analysts. “We will get the content at the same cost as a cable operator in Chennai like Arasu Cable. The same price will be applicable to us,” Goel said on an optimistic note hoping the tariff order would remove discrimination.

    He also mentioned that the recent merger of Dish TV and Videocon d2h has managed to reduce content costs in some cases. “I can say the broadcasters have recognised the combined entity. Earlier we used to give 7%, 8%, 5% increase. This is no longer the case rather. In some of the cases, we have reduced the content costs while some agreements are still pending,” he said.

    Another face of the company, Dish TV India Group CEO Anil Dua emphasised on the importance of the unity in industry to implement the tariff order. He termed the Mera Apna Pack as a predecessor to the implementation of the Tariff Order.

    “We are the only one I guess in any of the DPO including cable or the DTH industry who are geared up to sell the pay channel based on the Tariff Order and the customer demand,” Dua said.

    Also Read:

    Third Madras high court judge gives TRAI tariff order thumbs up

    Dish TV offers SD channels at Rs 8.5 per month

  • Reliance BIG TV joins hands with 50,000 Indian Post Offices for HD DTH set top boxes

    Reliance BIG TV joins hands with 50,000 Indian Post Offices for HD DTH set top boxes

    MUMBAI: DTH player, Reliance Big TV, after announcing zero cost entertainment to 130 crores Indians, has partnered with 50,000 Indian Post Offices across Rajasthan, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim for consumers to do an initial booking by making a payment of Rs 500 through post offices.

    The FREE HD HEVC Set-Top-Boxes, as promised by Reliance Big TV, can now be booked through India Post Offices all across India. This initiative will support digital India campaign by bringing urban & rural India on the same platform for entertainment and education with unified consumer offer.

    Vijender Singh director Reliance Big TV says,“With its latest offering, Reliance Big TV has disrupted the digital entertainment space in India. Now, every Indian household can have our HD HEVC Set Top Boxes at their disposal. This will give an access to free and high-quality entertainment and even more, every aspiring student can enjoy complimentary access to educational content, with our HD HEVC Set Top Boxes, which can be booked listed Indian Post Offices”. 

    The company will be starting the installation soon and all pre-booked customers will get their set-top boxes installed in their houses before 30 July and delivery of set-top boxes will start from 15 of June. The bookings for the post office will be commencing from 20 June.

    “With this tie-up, Reliance Big TV will have a wider reach since Indian Post Office has an incredible reach, which is unrivalled by any other logistics partner and the same would help the customers to book this incredible offer by paying Rs 500 at any of the post offices in the stipulated states” adds Singh.

    Reliance Big TV is further extending its Pan-India network to fully support its customers and provide an enriching content spanning Entertainment, Movies, Sports, News, infotainment, Education, Kids content and more. Its latest, cutting-edge HD HEVC device is all set to offer superior digital quality viewing.

    Furthermore, the HD HEVC Set-Top-Box by Reliance Big TV comes fully loaded with latest features, such as scheduled recording, USB port, HDMI port, recording & viewing channels simultaneously. The latest offer includes, a plethora of pay channels absolutely free for 1 year including HD channels and up to 500 FTA channels free of cost for 5 years.

    The pre-booking of the latest offer by Reliance Big TV has already commenced from 1 March 2018. Users can avail the latest offer on Reliance Big TV website (www.reliancebigtv.com) with booking amount of Rs 500 at a post office. On the receipt of Set-top-Box and outdoor unit (ODU), buyers have to pay the balance amount of Rs 1500 and enjoy a plethora of pay channels absolutely free for 1 year including HD Channels and up to 500 FTA channels free of cost for 5 years.

  • Airtel to issue single bills to DTH, post paid & broadband customers

    Airtel to issue single bills to DTH, post paid & broadband customers

    MUMBAI: Bharti Airtel is creating a new way to increase its average revenue per user (ARPU) that involves an integrated payment solution combining the bills of DTH, broadband, fixed line and postpaid mobile, as per a report in Livemint. It is also likely to give a 5-10 per cent discount on the integrated payment.

    The report quotes the source as stating that the bundling will do away with the hassle of multiple bill cycles and will increase loyalty. The move comes against the backdrop of Reliance Jio’s disruption. Livemint states that the test is currently on in Hyderbad and the first launch will be in seven to 10 days in some southern cities.

    Jio has also mentioned that it will look at bundling its services like 100 mpbs connection, JioTV and VoIP. Airtel is looking at increasing its investment in the broadband segment where it also bundled its OTT apps Wynk Music and Airtel TV.

    Airtel Digital TV boasts of 14.2 million customers with an ARPU of Rs 228.

  • Industry optimistic about RPD technology for viewership

    Industry optimistic about RPD technology for viewership

    MUMBAI: Across the world, efforts are on to make audience measurement systems more reliable and tamper-proof so that advertisers can get the right value and content providers can tailor content as per market demand.

    Return Path Data (RPD) is a globally used system for collecting viewership data and is used by distribution players to study consumer behaviour in the UK, US, Canada and South East Asia. India’s Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) has tied up with Airtel Digital TV, Den Networks and Siti for including its subscriber homes on the BARC India RPD Panel. The partnerships will provide a fillip to BARC India’s plan for scaling up panel homes to multiples of the mandated 50,000.

    Zee Melt 2018 saw a session on ‘how return path data will turbo-boost television audience measurement globally’ with panellists DEN Networks Group CTO Sanjay Jain, IndiaCast EVP Amit Arora, Tata Sky CCO Arun Unni, Star India head data science and IT Kaushik Das, Numeris Canada VP research Ricardo Gomez-Insausti and TRAI principal advisor Debkumar Chakrabarti. The panel was moderated by Castle Media executive director Vynsley Fernandes.

    Chakrabarti said that single third-party body with proper governance structure is best placed to do RPD. BARC India, with its experience of panel-based TV measurement is best placed to partner with DTH and cable platforms for RPD based measurement. “This will avoid confusion, give single comparable metric and thus give confidence to both advertisers and broadcasters. It has been the experience in other fields that multiple bodies can lead to conflict and confusion,” he said.

    Tata Sky too has realised the importance of increasing the panel home size. While it started RPD with 10,000 boxes, it has now upped it to 30,000. “Considering the changing consumer preferences, their choice of content also changes. This makes it important to refresh the panel every year,” said Unni. He also added that it is still representative of only seven to eight per cent of Indian households. “RPD is the lifeline and every decision taking place in the future will be based on this data. Changes in environment lead to consumer behaviour changes and it is fundamental to do business.”

    Das said that first we need to understand the raw data right. In terms of OTT you know exactly what every viewer is doing; whereas in linear, you have limited samples. “If we look at what Google and Facebook are doing, we need to understand our viewers correctly. What makes them choose to turn on a TV channel or to watch a show on OTT and unless we really know why they are making a choice what they like, what they don’t like, it is very difficult to respond appropriately because TRPs exist today, all of us know that we have been exposed to Netflix and the user experience we get from that, there is no reason why Indian television cannot provide the same user experience.”

    According to Arora, there is a need for a single agency for RPD as it is only then that the platform will remain neutral. “I am presuming that we are talking about one single agency realising now that actually, it has to be the representative of the 1100 platforms that we have in our country.” He said that we cannot have a Netflix kind of an environment where every viewer sending the time and then what is the size of sample will remain the question.  

    The motivation for Den Networks to join hands with BARC India came from their need to go beyond just installing Den STBs in subscribers’ homes. “We wanted insights into viewer behaviour to understand who is watching what. This data is important for us to be able to present the kind of content that consumers actually want,” Jain said.

    Unni said that they have been closely watching what’s happening for the last 12-18 months. He said that huge digital consumption has been happening in the country. “How did it impact our platform, which segments of our consumers are visiting and what’s the reaction to that, so does it mean that the platform consumption is going down? It doesn’t actually,” he said.

    Unni added that the digital data consumption has gone up. It is adding on top, rather than substituting conventional television.

    Star has subscribed to the RPD data from Tata Sky. But it too agrees that broad-basing the RPD panel would be the right way to move ahead. Das said, “For better targeting, we need to experiment. Currently, we do not have enough data that gives deep insights into consumer behaviour.”

    Arora explained his point by giving an example that a particular platform with whom the data is available, the data is open for intervention, and so those safety pacts will become the most important thing altogether. So now, what is relevant? “India being such a rigorous country, the representation of every language, every society, and every market for that matter may have lower RPDs influencing the data in the different markets,” he added.

    Summing up the panel discussion, Fernandes said that RPD is a way to go in the future as it increases the sample size; it increases our understanding overall of stakeholder levels by the broadcasters, big agencies, digital platform operators and benefits to consumers. It is very important to have a single apex body in terms of monitoring all the data provided a single currency to the industry. 

  • Merged Dish TV reports maiden numbers for fiscal 2018

    Merged Dish TV reports maiden numbers for fiscal 2018

    BENGALURU: The merged entity comprising of two Indian DTH players – Dish TV India Ltd reported its maiden fourth quarter and fiscal numbers for the periods ending 31 March 2018 (Q4 2018, quarter under review, FY 2018 year or fiscal under review). The two entities of the new behemoth Dish TV India Ltd were – Dish TV India Ltd and Videocon d2h Ltd before the merger. Dish TV and Videocon d2h had reported profit after tax (PAT) of Rs 82.12 crore and Rs 30.44 crore respectively for fiscal 2017. Individual revenues in fiscal 2017 were Rs 3,014.38 crore and Rs 3,071.73 crore for Dish TV and Videocon dh2 respectively. On 22 March 2018, Videocon d2h had merged with and into Dish TV India Ltd with the appointed date of the merger being 1 October 2017, or for the latter half of financial year 2018. The post merger consolidated operating revenue of Dish TV post merger for FY 2018 was Rs 4.634.16 crore and consolidated net loss was Rs 84.50 crore. Subscription revenue was Rs 4,216.7 crore. Consolidated total comprehensive loss (TCL) for FY 2018 was Rs 81.33 crore.

    Dish TV’s fiscal 2018 numbers are not comparable with FY 2017 in the form presented by the company for FY 2018. Financials of Dish TV India Ltd for the quarter ended 31 March 2018 thus represent three months’ financial performance each of Dish TV India Ltd and Videocon d2h Ltd. Similarly, financials of Dish TV India Ltd for the year ended 31 March 2018 represent 12 months’ financial performance of Dish TV India Ltd and six months financial performance of Videocon d2h Ltd. Both companies had reported separate financials for the quarter ended 31 December 2018 (Q3-2018, immediate trailing quarter, previous quarter).

    Subscriber numbers

    The merged company – Dish TV India Ltd had a subscriber base of 2.3 crore with a market share of about 37 per cent at the end of Q4 2018. This makes it the largest private DTH player in the country. ARPU (average revenue per user) of the merged entity for Q4 2018 was Rs 201. For Q3 2018, individually Dish TV had reported ARPU of Rs 144, while Videocon d2h had individually reported ARPU of Rs 208.

    Let us look at the other numbers reported by the merged Dish TV

    Simple consolidated EBIDTA for fiscal 2018 was Rs 1316.02 crore (28.4 per cent of operating revenue). Total expenditure for FY 2018 was Rs 4,786.23 crore. Employee benefit expense during the year under review was Rs 209.61 crore. Operational cost in fiscal 2018 was Rs 2,476.60 crore. Finance costs were Rs 396.37 crore. Other expenses were Rs 620.82 crore.

    Dish TV’s numbers for the fourth quarter

    Since the Dish TV-Videocon d2h merger happened in the third quarter of fiscal 2018, a year on year (y-o-y) comparison would not be an apples-to-apples comparison. We have compared how it fared in the fourth and third quarters (quarter over quarter or q-o-q) of 2018.

    The merged Dish TV India Ltd consolidated revenue from operations reduced 5.1 q-o-q in the quarter under review to Rs 1,532.37 crore from Rs 1,614.33 crore in Q3-2018. Consolidated total revenue reduced 5.7 per cent q-o-q to Rs 1,545.11 crore from Rs 1,638.50 crore.

    The merged entity reported consolidated PAT of Rs 118.21 crore (7.7 per cent of operating revenue) as compared to a loss of Rs 118.21 crore in the immediate trailing quarter Q3 2018. Consolidated simple EBITDA in Q4 2018 was 19.5 per cent lower q-o-q at Rs 400.65 crore (26.2 per cent of operating revenue) as compared to Rs 497.84 crore (30.8 per cent of operating revenue). Adjusted consolidated EBITDA (Dish TV claims that a onetime merger expense of Rs 60 crore was accounted for in Q4 2018) was 7.5 per cent lower q-o-q in Q4 2018 at Rs 460.65 crore (30.1 per cent of operating revenue) as compared to Rs 497.84 crore). Consolidated TCI in Q4 2018 was Rs 119.86 crore as compared to a consolidated TCL (total comprehensive loss) of Rs 166.31 crore in the previous quarter.

    The merged Dish TV’s consolidated total expenditure was almost the same at Rs 1,611.80 crore in Q4 2018 as compared to Rs 1,612.36 crore in Q3 2018. Operational cost in Q4 2018 increased 2.2 per cent q-o-q to Rs 866.36 crore from Rs 847.74 crore. Employee benefit expense during the quarter under review reduced 0.7 per cent to Rs 66.856 crore from Rs 67.30 crore in Q3 2018. Finance cost in Q4 2018 reduced 7.3 per cent q-o-q to Rs 132.94 crore from Rs 143.38 crore. Other expenses in Q4 2018 reduced 1.5 per cent q-o-q to Rs 195.97 crore from Rs 198.92 crore.

    Company speak

    In Dish TV’s earnings release, the company’s CMD Jawahar Goel said, “There is significant growth potential both in the short and the long term when it comes to acquiring new subscribers. While in the short term, digitisation will continue to feed subscriber additions, government schemes focused on bridging the urban/rural divide, increasing farm incomes and electricity connection to rural households will create demand for new televisions and pay-tv connections in the years to come.”

    On the merged Dish TV, Goel said, “It’s time to now put all thoughts to action and deliver what is expected from two leading platforms when they come together. I am happy to share that merger integration across functions has been successfully completed and new roles, responsibilities and key deliverables have been well received by our team.”

    “I see a new sense of passion and urgency all around in the company and believe that we have everything we need to surge ahead,” added Goel.

    Three well recognised and powerful brands- Dish TV, d2h and Zing are now being marketed under the Dish TV India Ltd umbrella. Dish TV group CEO Anil Dua said, “Revenue would be further fortified through Value Added Services, some of which have already been cross rolled-out on all three brands. With demonetization, poor rural demand and merger related distractions behind us, we are confident of a sharp turnaround in our operating and financial performance in this fiscal.”

    Also Read :

    Videocon d2h, Dish TV merger comes to fruition

    Dish TV-Videocon d2h to bank on economies of scale

    Videocon d2h delists from NASDAQ, merger with Dish TV likely on 22 March

  • Dish TV offers SD channels at Rs 8.5 per month

    Dish TV offers SD channels at Rs 8.5 per month

    MUMBAI: After an intense merger time with Videocon d2h, Dish TV is back with a new solution for its customers and this time it is offering SD channels at just Rs 8.5 a month. The DTH operator has even launched a 360-degree campaign to make people aware of it.

    Entitled “Saadhey aath mein jeeto saare heart”, the campaign amplifies the benefit of having the choice of hand-picking channels based on customers entertainment needs and how that ultimately leads to keeping everyone at home happy.

    The campaign, conceptualised by Enormous Brands, aims to connect both rationally and emotionally with customers who are managing delicate relationship balances at home. Aimed to reiterate Dish TV’s flexible and customisable entertainment packs and offerings, this campaign solidifies Dish TV’s position in the industry and showcases how its innovative offering of Rs 8.5 per channel per month is set to create a new benchmark in television entertainment.

    In the form of a TVC, the campaign showcases how a young man is being felicitated for having achieved an impossible feat – that of keeping his mother and wife happy by getting their favourite channels added on Dish TV. This unique superpower is available to all its customers and gives them the ability to choose the entertainment of their choice at a minimal price of Rs 8.5 per SD channel per month on their base pack.

    The seed of the idea came from the insight that today’s customers are often left wanting as most operators tie them down to a pre-bundled pack. Upgrading to a new pack becomes heavy on the pocket without the freedom to choose their favourite channel.

    Dish TV group CEO Anil Dua says, “DishTV has always leveraged relevant customer insights to launch and communicate new innovative offerings to its subscribers. Our product “Mera Apna Pack” under the DishTV brand is aimed at offering value, affordability and customer empowerment. We have just launched its new campaign that is aimed at showcasing the benefit of providing customers with the choice of watching entertainment that they want.”

    Dish TV corporate head of marketing Sukhpreet Singh adds, “With family TV viewing at the core of our business, our new ad campaign is here to win everyone’s heart with its creative jingle and quirky ad campaign tagline. To connect with customers, we will roll out the campaign on TV, print and digital platforms. Additionally, all our POS will have a dedicated space to showcase it.”

    Enormous Brands managing partner Ashish Khazanchi mentions that the agency’s endeavour is to make the brand more inclusive and charming. With this campaign they wanted to bring this promise alive in the context of families in a fun and enjoyable way.