ITV

Tag: DTH

  • High 4K TV partners Splendid Media for India launch

    High 4K TV partners Splendid Media for India launch

    MUMBAI: The New York headquartered multi-genre linear Ultra High Definition (UHD) entertainment channel – High 4K TV, which features a mix of travel, entertainment, lifestyle, sports and original content in 4K, is slated to launch in India via Splendid Media.

    The channel will be available on digital TV platforms and Splendid Media is in talks with various DTH  and cable companies for the channel’s distribution.

    High TV head of business development Justin Borrelo said, “It is indeed a major milestone for us, as an international 4K channel, to be present in India through a leading media company such as Splendid Media, with the highest reach. We are excited to be bringing the very best in lifestyle and entertainment programming to an audience that embraces entertainment as the very essence of their culture.”

    Splendid Media founder and CEO Amit Srivastava added, “We are delighted to be the exclusive agents of High 4K TV in the Indian sub-continent. We will be tying up with various leading DTH and digital cable providers for bringing this unique experience to Indian consumers. We are confident that our viewers will be truly entertained by the breadth and depth of lifestyle and entertainment coverage, as well as benefit from the tips that High 4K TV programs offer.”

  • DTH subs in Jharkhand, West Bengal, J&K jump manifold with DAS Phase III

    DTH subs in Jharkhand, West Bengal, J&K jump manifold with DAS Phase III

    MUMBAI: As a result of being the major beneficiaries of cable television digitisation in the country, direct to home (DTH) operators in January have seen an increase of 62 per cent in their subscriber base, with states like Jharkhand, West Bengal and Jammu & Kashmir being the major contributors as per Chrome Data Analytics & Media.

    While Jharkhand’s DTH subscriber base jumped to 54 per cent in January from a meagre one per cent; in West Bengal, where there was almost nil DTH penetration, a jump to 42 per cent has been seen. Jammu & Kashmir, on the other hand, upped its DTH subscriber base from 22 per cent to 61 per cent post the Digital Addressable System (DAS) Phase III deadline of 31 December, 2015.

    Bihar followed next with a 32 per cent jump in DTH subscriber base. The state’s 13 per cent DTH penetration has now has increased to 45 per cent.

    With a 31 per cent jump in subscriber base, Gujarat’s DTH penetration now stands at 34 per cent, while Chhastisgarh registered a hike of 22 per cent and achieved 39 per cent DTH penetration in January.

    Karnataka’s DTH subscriber base saw an increase of 12 per cent with the state achieving 21 per cent DTH penetration. While Goa saw a 11 per cent jump at 21 per cent. 

    With an increase ranging from four – 10 per cent, the DTH penetration percentage in other states stood as follows: Uttar Pradesh – 78 per cent, Haryana – 32 per cent, Rajasthan – 41 per cent, Punjab – 22 per cent and Uttrakhand – 45 per cent as per Chrome Data Analytics & Media.

    As of 30 June, 2015 there were 78.74 million registered DTH subscribers, of which only 39.74 million were active subscriber being served by six private DTH operators. As of October 2015, the market share of these DTH operators was as follows: Dish TV – 27 per cent, Tata Sky – 20 per cent, Airtel Digital – 19 per cent, Videocon d2h – 16 per cent, Sun Direct – 12 per cent and Big TV – six per cent.

    As of 31 December, 2015, while Dish TV’s subscriber base stood at 1.4 crore, Videocon d2h boasted of 1.13 crore subscribers and Airtel Digital TV had 1.11 crore subscribers. The subscriber numbers for Tata Sky, Sun Direct and and Big TV are not known.

    Now with the share of DTH subscribers increasing across the country, it will be interesting to note, which operator has benefited the maximum with DAS Phase III. 

    What’s more, despite the stay by the High Court in five states on the implementation of DAS Phase III due to shortage of set top boxes (STBs), there has been a successful 50 per cent digitisation for phase III across the country according to Chrome.

    It may be recalled that earlier this year, Chrome had claimed that post the Phase III deadline of 31 December, 2015, over 70 per cent digitisation had been achieved when analogue signals were completely switched off in various cities. However, the company has now revised its figures in the wake of analog signals being switched on again in various states, which has been stated as the cause for the steep fall in digitisation percentage in a place like Goa.

    According to the revised data provided by Chrome, three states namely Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Punjab have achieved more than 90 per cent digitisation as of January 2016.

    Below is the percentage of digitisation achieved by Indian states in descending order:

    Andhra Pradesh – 94 per cent

    Kerala – 93.5 per cent

    Punjab – 90 per cent

    Uttar Pradesh – 89.2 per cent

    Bihar – 68.4 per cent

    Haryana – 66.7 per cent

    Goa – 64.9 per cent

    Rajasthan – 64.2 per cent

    Jammu & Kashmir – 61.2 per cent

    West Bengal – 60 per cent

    Jharkhand – 59.5 per cent

    Chhattisgarh – 56.2 per cent

    Uttarakhand – 53.4 per cent

    Karnataka – 51.8 per cent

    Gujarat – 51.6 per cent

  • DTH subs in Jharkhand, West Bengal, J&K jump manifold with DAS Phase III

    DTH subs in Jharkhand, West Bengal, J&K jump manifold with DAS Phase III

    MUMBAI: As a result of being the major beneficiaries of cable television digitisation in the country, direct to home (DTH) operators in January have seen an increase of 62 per cent in their subscriber base, with states like Jharkhand, West Bengal and Jammu & Kashmir being the major contributors as per Chrome Data Analytics & Media.

    While Jharkhand’s DTH subscriber base jumped to 54 per cent in January from a meagre one per cent; in West Bengal, where there was almost nil DTH penetration, a jump to 42 per cent has been seen. Jammu & Kashmir, on the other hand, upped its DTH subscriber base from 22 per cent to 61 per cent post the Digital Addressable System (DAS) Phase III deadline of 31 December, 2015.

    Bihar followed next with a 32 per cent jump in DTH subscriber base. The state’s 13 per cent DTH penetration has now has increased to 45 per cent.

    With a 31 per cent jump in subscriber base, Gujarat’s DTH penetration now stands at 34 per cent, while Chhastisgarh registered a hike of 22 per cent and achieved 39 per cent DTH penetration in January.

    Karnataka’s DTH subscriber base saw an increase of 12 per cent with the state achieving 21 per cent DTH penetration. While Goa saw a 11 per cent jump at 21 per cent. 

    With an increase ranging from four – 10 per cent, the DTH penetration percentage in other states stood as follows: Uttar Pradesh – 78 per cent, Haryana – 32 per cent, Rajasthan – 41 per cent, Punjab – 22 per cent and Uttrakhand – 45 per cent as per Chrome Data Analytics & Media.

    As of 30 June, 2015 there were 78.74 million registered DTH subscribers, of which only 39.74 million were active subscriber being served by six private DTH operators. As of October 2015, the market share of these DTH operators was as follows: Dish TV – 27 per cent, Tata Sky – 20 per cent, Airtel Digital – 19 per cent, Videocon d2h – 16 per cent, Sun Direct – 12 per cent and Big TV – six per cent.

    As of 31 December, 2015, while Dish TV’s subscriber base stood at 1.4 crore, Videocon d2h boasted of 1.13 crore subscribers and Airtel Digital TV had 1.11 crore subscribers. The subscriber numbers for Tata Sky, Sun Direct and and Big TV are not known.

    Now with the share of DTH subscribers increasing across the country, it will be interesting to note, which operator has benefited the maximum with DAS Phase III. 

    What’s more, despite the stay by the High Court in five states on the implementation of DAS Phase III due to shortage of set top boxes (STBs), there has been a successful 50 per cent digitisation for phase III across the country according to Chrome.

    It may be recalled that earlier this year, Chrome had claimed that post the Phase III deadline of 31 December, 2015, over 70 per cent digitisation had been achieved when analogue signals were completely switched off in various cities. However, the company has now revised its figures in the wake of analog signals being switched on again in various states, which has been stated as the cause for the steep fall in digitisation percentage in a place like Goa.

    According to the revised data provided by Chrome, three states namely Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Punjab have achieved more than 90 per cent digitisation as of January 2016.

    Below is the percentage of digitisation achieved by Indian states in descending order:

    Andhra Pradesh – 94 per cent

    Kerala – 93.5 per cent

    Punjab – 90 per cent

    Uttar Pradesh – 89.2 per cent

    Bihar – 68.4 per cent

    Haryana – 66.7 per cent

    Goa – 64.9 per cent

    Rajasthan – 64.2 per cent

    Jammu & Kashmir – 61.2 per cent

    West Bengal – 60 per cent

    Jharkhand – 59.5 per cent

    Chhattisgarh – 56.2 per cent

    Uttarakhand – 53.4 per cent

    Karnataka – 51.8 per cent

    Gujarat – 51.6 per cent

  • Gemporia targets revenue of Rs 60-100 crore; to launch on Tata Sky

    Gemporia targets revenue of Rs 60-100 crore; to launch on Tata Sky

    MUMBAI: Digitisation of cable television in India has opened up the space for many a niche channels. And taking advantage of this are brands and companies operating in diverse fields. One such company is Gemporia – jewellers from the United Kingdom, which forayed into India with the launch of a television channel back in September 2015. The channel, which is already available on direct to home (DTH) platforms like Dish TV and Videocon d2h, is all set to launch on Tata Sky in the next fortnight.

    What’s more, the channel is eyeing revenue between Rs 60 – 100 crore by the end of 2016. With the ethos of ‘Janiye aur Kharide’ (Know and Buy), the channel has a marketing budget of over Rs 25 crore, which it will strategically dish out with time. “The end goal is to be the largest selling jeweller in terms units and to reach that goal we will need to have an interactive marketing campaign. We are moving ahead towards that, the medium will depend on the marketing strategy, but we will innovate across platforms,” said Gemporia India co-founder Manuj Goyal.

    With the proliferation of the e-commerce space, there are a number of online stores selling jewellery in India. However, the online retailing of original jewels is yet to pick pace. Keeping the scenario in mind, Gemporia has taken TV route and has over 14 hours of live programming.

    The channel’s distribution and operation cost is predicted to be over Rs 50 crore. Goyal informs that the channel’s initial target is to be available on DTH platforms and then gradually move having a presence on cable.

    Gemporia has over eight per cent market share when it comes jewellery in the UK. “Majority of the jewellery shopping happens online across the globe. And I believe the same can happen in India too,” says Goyal.

    The venture has a target set to reach 100 million television audiences. Set up in Jaipur, Gemporia has 160 employees, of which 30 are equipped with GIA certificate.

    “All our products are hallmarked and we don’t sell imitation jewellery. We are the first dedicated jewellery channel with live programming. We stand by the purity of our jewellery and hence give our consumers the option of returning the jewellery within 30 days with full refund. Since we cannot offer consumers the touch and feel of our products, we create 360 degree videos of the product that consumers will eventually invest in,” informs Goyal.

    In a bid to stay ahead of online jewellery marketplaces, Gemporia decided to take the TV route. “Next to touch and feel is video and that’s where we have an advantage. Additionally, in most online stores, the products displaced are not ready and hence the delivery time is way more than us. Ours is a dedicated jewellery company and the product displayed is available for consumers to buy. The moment they buy a piece of jewellery, we can ship it and hence the logistics are way faster than the existing online stores,” says Goyal.

    A home shopping channel media expert says on condition of anonymity, “The jewellery space can pick up as it has the potential. But the product pricing has to be lower than traditional physical stores. All across the globe, the products that sells on home shopping channels are unique and priced lower than those in brick and mortar stores. Putting common products up will go no where. Gemporia’s biggest challenge and competition will be from the channels selling imitation jewellery. The first year will be challenging and will define the fate.”   

    Besides TV, Gemporia also has an online presence. Through the website, an on-screen anchor addresses consumers’ questions. Additionally, Gemporia also has a mobile app to sort out size issues. The Gemporia Ring Sizer app enables consumers to asses the ring size by just putting it up on the mobile screen. “We send ring sizer with our every order to sort out the size issue,” informs Goyal.

    With innovation, novel offerings and customer service being the key factors for success for a venture, it now remains to be seen how this one of a kind television channel orchestrates its voyage in the cluttered and unpredictable Indian market.

  • Gemporia targets revenue of Rs 60-100 crore; to launch on Tata Sky

    Gemporia targets revenue of Rs 60-100 crore; to launch on Tata Sky

    MUMBAI: Digitisation of cable television in India has opened up the space for many a niche channels. And taking advantage of this are brands and companies operating in diverse fields. One such company is Gemporia – jewellers from the United Kingdom, which forayed into India with the launch of a television channel back in September 2015. The channel, which is already available on direct to home (DTH) platforms like Dish TV and Videocon d2h, is all set to launch on Tata Sky in the next fortnight.

    What’s more, the channel is eyeing revenue between Rs 60 – 100 crore by the end of 2016. With the ethos of ‘Janiye aur Kharide’ (Know and Buy), the channel has a marketing budget of over Rs 25 crore, which it will strategically dish out with time. “The end goal is to be the largest selling jeweller in terms units and to reach that goal we will need to have an interactive marketing campaign. We are moving ahead towards that, the medium will depend on the marketing strategy, but we will innovate across platforms,” said Gemporia India co-founder Manuj Goyal.

    With the proliferation of the e-commerce space, there are a number of online stores selling jewellery in India. However, the online retailing of original jewels is yet to pick pace. Keeping the scenario in mind, Gemporia has taken TV route and has over 14 hours of live programming.

    The channel’s distribution and operation cost is predicted to be over Rs 50 crore. Goyal informs that the channel’s initial target is to be available on DTH platforms and then gradually move having a presence on cable.

    Gemporia has over eight per cent market share when it comes jewellery in the UK. “Majority of the jewellery shopping happens online across the globe. And I believe the same can happen in India too,” says Goyal.

    The venture has a target set to reach 100 million television audiences. Set up in Jaipur, Gemporia has 160 employees, of which 30 are equipped with GIA certificate.

    “All our products are hallmarked and we don’t sell imitation jewellery. We are the first dedicated jewellery channel with live programming. We stand by the purity of our jewellery and hence give our consumers the option of returning the jewellery within 30 days with full refund. Since we cannot offer consumers the touch and feel of our products, we create 360 degree videos of the product that consumers will eventually invest in,” informs Goyal.

    In a bid to stay ahead of online jewellery marketplaces, Gemporia decided to take the TV route. “Next to touch and feel is video and that’s where we have an advantage. Additionally, in most online stores, the products displaced are not ready and hence the delivery time is way more than us. Ours is a dedicated jewellery company and the product displayed is available for consumers to buy. The moment they buy a piece of jewellery, we can ship it and hence the logistics are way faster than the existing online stores,” says Goyal.

    A home shopping channel media expert says on condition of anonymity, “The jewellery space can pick up as it has the potential. But the product pricing has to be lower than traditional physical stores. All across the globe, the products that sells on home shopping channels are unique and priced lower than those in brick and mortar stores. Putting common products up will go no where. Gemporia’s biggest challenge and competition will be from the channels selling imitation jewellery. The first year will be challenging and will define the fate.”   

    Besides TV, Gemporia also has an online presence. Through the website, an on-screen anchor addresses consumers’ questions. Additionally, Gemporia also has a mobile app to sort out size issues. The Gemporia Ring Sizer app enables consumers to asses the ring size by just putting it up on the mobile screen. “We send ring sizer with our every order to sort out the size issue,” informs Goyal.

    With innovation, novel offerings and customer service being the key factors for success for a venture, it now remains to be seen how this one of a kind television channel orchestrates its voyage in the cluttered and unpredictable Indian market.

  • 2014-15: MIB earns Rs 836.52 crore from DTH; revenue from FM drops to Rs 80.3 crore

    2014-15: MIB earns Rs 836.52 crore from DTH; revenue from FM drops to Rs 80.3 crore

    MUMBAI: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) earned revenue of Rs 836.52 crore from the direct-to-home (DTH) sector for the year 2014-15. This was a considerable increase from the Rs 395.43 crore that the MIB earned from the sector in the previous year (2013-14). For the year 2012-13, the revenue from the sector stood at Rs 308.66 crore.

    Apart from Doordarshan’s free-to- air DD Direct Plus, there are six private DTH players in India namely Dish TV, Tata Sky, Sun Direct TV, Reliance Big TV, Airtel Digital TV and Videocon d2h.

    On the other hand, the revenue that the MIB earned from the auction of FM Radio dropped considerably in 2014-15 to Rs 80.30 crore from Rs 102.21 crore in 2013-14. In 2012-13, the revenue from the sector stood at Rs 61.27 crore. 

    The FM Phase-I Policy, which was approved by the Government in July, 1999, met with the limited success and saw a total number of 21 channels are operational in 12 cities under this scheme.

    On the other hand, the improved FM Phase-II Policy was notified in July, 2005 after considering the recommendations of Dr.Amit Mitra Committee and Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). FM Policy Phase-II has been well received by all stake holders. It has resulted in huge growth in FM radio industry. However, many cities still remained uncovered by the private FM radio broadcasting.

    With the huge success of Phase II, FM Phase III Policy extended FM radio services to about 227 new cities, in addition to the present 86 cities, with a total of 839 new FM radio channels in 294 cities, Phase-III policy will result in coverage of all cities with a population of one lakh and above with private FM radio channels. The government has earned revenue by auction of FM channels to the private service providers.

  • 2014-15: MIB earns Rs 836.52 crore from DTH; revenue from FM drops to Rs 80.3 crore

    2014-15: MIB earns Rs 836.52 crore from DTH; revenue from FM drops to Rs 80.3 crore

    MUMBAI: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) earned revenue of Rs 836.52 crore from the direct-to-home (DTH) sector for the year 2014-15. This was a considerable increase from the Rs 395.43 crore that the MIB earned from the sector in the previous year (2013-14). For the year 2012-13, the revenue from the sector stood at Rs 308.66 crore.

    Apart from Doordarshan’s free-to- air DD Direct Plus, there are six private DTH players in India namely Dish TV, Tata Sky, Sun Direct TV, Reliance Big TV, Airtel Digital TV and Videocon d2h.

    On the other hand, the revenue that the MIB earned from the auction of FM Radio dropped considerably in 2014-15 to Rs 80.30 crore from Rs 102.21 crore in 2013-14. In 2012-13, the revenue from the sector stood at Rs 61.27 crore. 

    The FM Phase-I Policy, which was approved by the Government in July, 1999, met with the limited success and saw a total number of 21 channels are operational in 12 cities under this scheme.

    On the other hand, the improved FM Phase-II Policy was notified in July, 2005 after considering the recommendations of Dr.Amit Mitra Committee and Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). FM Policy Phase-II has been well received by all stake holders. It has resulted in huge growth in FM radio industry. However, many cities still remained uncovered by the private FM radio broadcasting.

    With the huge success of Phase II, FM Phase III Policy extended FM radio services to about 227 new cities, in addition to the present 86 cities, with a total of 839 new FM radio channels in 294 cities, Phase-III policy will result in coverage of all cities with a population of one lakh and above with private FM radio channels. The government has earned revenue by auction of FM channels to the private service providers.

  • Q3-2015: DishTV adds 317K subscribers; reports subscription revenue of Rs 711 crore

    Q3-2015: DishTV adds 317K subscribers; reports subscription revenue of Rs 711 crore

    BENGALURU: This is the fourth consecutive quarter that direct to home (DTH) company DishTV has reported growth across important financial and operational parameters including operating revenues (TIO), profit after tax (PAT) and subscription numbers. Last fiscal and quarter (year and quarter ended 31 March, 2015, Q4-2015), Essel Group’s DTH operator Dish TV Limited turned the corner with a consolidated profit after tax (PAT) of Rs 3.14 crore and Rs 34.94 crore (margin 4.8 per cent) respectively. The company followed this up with even better numbers in the previous two quarters (Q1-2016 and Q2-2016).

    The company added 3.17 lakh net subscribers in the quarter ended 31 December, 2015 (Q3-2016, current quarter), taking its subscriber base on that date to 140 lakh. Dish TV is the largest DTH player in the country in terms of subscribers as well as revenue. The company reported 11.8 per cent YOY revenue growth in the current quarter at Rs 771.48 crore as compared to Rs 690.08 crore and 2.5 per cent more QoQ as compared to Rs 752.42 crore.

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

    The company reported 39.1 per cent EBIDTA growth in the current quarter at Rs 265.4 crore as compared to Rs 190.8 crore in the corresponding year ago quarter and 4.1 per cent more than the Rs 255 crore in the immediate trailing quarter. The company reported PAT in Q3-2016 at Rs 68.49 as compared to a loss of Rs 2.63 crore in the corresponding prior year quarter, but decline 21.3 per cent as compared to Rs 86.96 crore in the previous quarter.

    Dish TV managing director Jawahar Goel said, ““We witnessed steady growth in the third quarter and our key metrics strengthened further. Subscription revenues grew 12.6 per cent while EBITDA margin improved to 34.4 per cent. Churn was lower at 0.7 per cent per month. PAT was Rs. 68.5 crore compared to a loss of Rs.2.6 crore in the corresponding quarter last fiscal. Free cash flow for the quarter stood at Rs. 129.6 crore. With a focus on Balance Sheet strength, Dish TV further pruned its debt by Rs 300 crore. The net debt is now around Rs 561 crore and likely to reduce substantially going forward.”

    Goel added, “Efforts towards 100 per cent village electrification and 24×7 power supply in urban areas have a direct correlation with our business. Improved power quality is likely to increase the consumption of pay-tv and within that, pre-paid platforms like Dish TV. Further, financial inclusion initiatives like the ‘Jan Dhan Yojna’ have also facilitated ease of recharge for DTH subscribers by giving them universal access to banking facilities. Rising income levels, growing urbanisation and favourable population dynamics instil confidence that India would be able to sustain high growth over a long period of time. Such positive indicators are catalysts for consumption driven sectors like DTH.”

    Talking about digitisation and Dish TV’s positioning, Goel said, “We continued to build our pan-India reach during the quarter. However, as expected, despite analogue sunset there was no real spike in consumer demand from Phase III markets thus making it an ordinary quarter from that perspective. Later, changing gears to align with the current industry trend, we tweaked our subscription packages to a more versatile and seemingly economical offering. Mandatory digitisation however is expected to pick up speed and our key focus going forward would be to gain market share both in terms of subscribers and profitability.”

  • Q3-2015: DishTV adds 317K subscribers; reports subscription revenue of Rs 711 crore

    Q3-2015: DishTV adds 317K subscribers; reports subscription revenue of Rs 711 crore

    BENGALURU: This is the fourth consecutive quarter that direct to home (DTH) company DishTV has reported growth across important financial and operational parameters including operating revenues (TIO), profit after tax (PAT) and subscription numbers. Last fiscal and quarter (year and quarter ended 31 March, 2015, Q4-2015), Essel Group’s DTH operator Dish TV Limited turned the corner with a consolidated profit after tax (PAT) of Rs 3.14 crore and Rs 34.94 crore (margin 4.8 per cent) respectively. The company followed this up with even better numbers in the previous two quarters (Q1-2016 and Q2-2016).

    The company added 3.17 lakh net subscribers in the quarter ended 31 December, 2015 (Q3-2016, current quarter), taking its subscriber base on that date to 140 lakh. Dish TV is the largest DTH player in the country in terms of subscribers as well as revenue. The company reported 11.8 per cent YOY revenue growth in the current quarter at Rs 771.48 crore as compared to Rs 690.08 crore and 2.5 per cent more QoQ as compared to Rs 752.42 crore.

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

    The company reported 39.1 per cent EBIDTA growth in the current quarter at Rs 265.4 crore as compared to Rs 190.8 crore in the corresponding year ago quarter and 4.1 per cent more than the Rs 255 crore in the immediate trailing quarter. The company reported PAT in Q3-2016 at Rs 68.49 as compared to a loss of Rs 2.63 crore in the corresponding prior year quarter, but decline 21.3 per cent as compared to Rs 86.96 crore in the previous quarter.

    Dish TV managing director Jawahar Goel said, ““We witnessed steady growth in the third quarter and our key metrics strengthened further. Subscription revenues grew 12.6 per cent while EBITDA margin improved to 34.4 per cent. Churn was lower at 0.7 per cent per month. PAT was Rs. 68.5 crore compared to a loss of Rs.2.6 crore in the corresponding quarter last fiscal. Free cash flow for the quarter stood at Rs. 129.6 crore. With a focus on Balance Sheet strength, Dish TV further pruned its debt by Rs 300 crore. The net debt is now around Rs 561 crore and likely to reduce substantially going forward.”

    Goel added, “Efforts towards 100 per cent village electrification and 24×7 power supply in urban areas have a direct correlation with our business. Improved power quality is likely to increase the consumption of pay-tv and within that, pre-paid platforms like Dish TV. Further, financial inclusion initiatives like the ‘Jan Dhan Yojna’ have also facilitated ease of recharge for DTH subscribers by giving them universal access to banking facilities. Rising income levels, growing urbanisation and favourable population dynamics instil confidence that India would be able to sustain high growth over a long period of time. Such positive indicators are catalysts for consumption driven sectors like DTH.”

    Talking about digitisation and Dish TV’s positioning, Goel said, “We continued to build our pan-India reach during the quarter. However, as expected, despite analogue sunset there was no real spike in consumer demand from Phase III markets thus making it an ordinary quarter from that perspective. Later, changing gears to align with the current industry trend, we tweaked our subscription packages to a more versatile and seemingly economical offering. Mandatory digitisation however is expected to pick up speed and our key focus going forward would be to gain market share both in terms of subscribers and profitability.”

  • DTH players capitalize on DAS phase III areas with aggressive campaigns

    DTH players capitalize on DAS phase III areas with aggressive campaigns

    MUMBAI/NEW DELHI: DTH players like Videocon d2h, DishTV et al have been shouting from rooftops about being DAS Phase III ready for a few months now. And since the DTH sector stands to benefit the most with the cable TV digitisation drive in India, most players have rolled out aggressive advertising campaigns to acquire more customers.

     

    While Videocon d2h expects Phase III to be 50 million TV households in terms of size, the scope for customer acquisition is vast.

     

    More so now with the ongoing High Court cases filed by various multi system operators (MSOs) and cable operators to extend the Digital Addressable System (DAS) Phase III implementation deadline, as many as five states have got temporary respite. With cable operators in several states facing shortage of set top boxes (STBs), the situation proves beneficial to DTH players in acquiring new subscribers in DAS Phase III.

     

    Dish TV, which is the oldest direct-to-home player in the country, has stepped up its campaign following the deadline of the Government for switching off analogue signals in all urban areas covered by DAS Phase III.

     

    In fact, the DTH player has been very upfront about their marketing strategy that capitalises on the confusion over digitisation in Phase III areas, as seen from their latest aggressive campaign titled Dish99. Targeting the Hindi speaking market, the catch phrase for this new campaign reads “Set-Top-Box Matlab DishTV” (Set-Top-Box Means DishTV).

     

     

    The TVC features popular TV actress Radhika Madan, who is a household name for daily soap watchers, addressing two housewives to tell them that their serials would be off air soon.

     

    When the panic-stricken women ask what they should do, she urges them to switch to Dish TV that offers service starting at just Rs 99 before their analogue signals are disrupted and they miss out on their daily entertainment.

     

    Explaining their current marketing strategy, Dish TV MD Jawahar Goel said, “DishTV’s advertising has always been very pro-active, but the ongoing campaign has been designed in view of the obvious shortage of set top boxes with cable operators. With the deadline of phase III of TV digitisation coming to a close, we aim to capitalise the huge captive user base that will eventually be on digital platform.”

     

    With this product, further, to augment the digitisation drive in Phase III, DishTV has introduced a 360 degree multi-media campaign spanning TV (across leading entertainment, sports and news channels), outdoor, radio, digital, online and direct marketing that leverages the power of popular TV celebrities. This DAS campaign features DishTV’s relatable faces to strike a chord amongst the audience and create awareness about TV digitisation among every household to shift from analog to digital platform,” added another DishTV spokesperson.

     

    Earlier Tata Sky too had rolled out a similar engaging campaign with Kangana Ranaut as its brand ambassador reaching out to people and telling them why they should switch to Tata Sky and enjoy paying for selective channels.

     

     

    However, Tata Sky points out that their campaign was not intentionally targeted to capitalise the digitisation situation.

     

    Tata Sky CEO and MD Harit Nagpal says, “We didn’t do any special campaign and the ads with Kangana Ranaut had commenced last year before the deadline. The ad simply says that if the viewer gives a missed call on the displayed number, Tata Sky will call back for installing their system. Thus, the viewer will save money as well as get the work done.”

     

    The campaign kick started earlier in June 2015, saw itself drawing several eyeballs from both consumers and industry experts by virtue of its casual and conversational style of narrative.

     

    On the other hand, sources share that Doordarshan’s free to air DTH service FreeDish has no plans to step up its publicity or marketing in view of the extension orders by High Courts of the DAS Phase III.

     

    “FreeDish was in a market that was different from the other DTH players as it was a free to air platform. DD generally publicised FreeDish only on its own channels and has no intention of any cross-channel promotion,” a source informs.

     

    It is undeniable that the current situation of DAS Phase III poses an opportunity for several DTH players to provide an easier alternative to consumers and bring them on board as subscribers while cable operators find a solid ground on the digitisation proceedings. What’s more, even as the government has announced 31 December, 2016 as the deadline for DAS Phase IV, it now remains to be seen how DTH players get even more aggressive on the marketing front as the year progresses.