MUMBAI: This New Year will bring a huge smile on the faces of Tata Sky subscribers and especially if they have an Android smartphone. It was in November that Tata Sky launched its innovative ‘Everywhere TV’ concept on iOS that allowed Apple phone users to watch their favourite channels live on their Apple phones and iPads with an internet pack, anywhere in the country.
Now, the DTH operator with a subscriber base of nearly 11 million is all set to introduce the application on the largest mobile operating system- Android. Set to launch within the next fortnight, this move will bring ‘TV on mobile’ to a platform that is being used by nearly 85 per cent of the population using smart phones.
The initial launch was for iOS users and not Android due to the large number of compatibility tests that need to be done for the various phones supporting Android. “We are very happy with the number we got in the first three weeks from Apple users. The response has exceeded our expectations,” says Tata Sky CEO Harit Nagpal. Sources say that nearly 1 lakh downloads of the app have happened so far. The number is expected to be much higher with the Android application coming soon.
Subscribers will have to pay Rs 60 per month to watch their favourite channels on their mobile phones and tablets, even when on-the-go. The application allows subscribers to watch Live TV, pause live TV, download movies, watch and record shows from their mobile phone.
What led to this innovation, answers Nagpal, “People are spending a lot of time outside of homes but are still consuming videos using different screens. So why can’t your Tata Sky connection be given to you on your mobile screen? A decent broadband or 3G/4G connection is all one needs to get the experience of TV everywhere.”
The DTH industry has been adding nearly 3 million subscribers each year and TRAI says the national subscriber base is 54 million on a gross basis. Industry estimates, however, place the active subscriber base at around 40 million odd nationally. ‘TV Everywhere’ will allow customers to watch TV seamlessly on their TV sets or on their mobile phones or on their tablets or phablets.
The DTH player believes in providing services to cater to the needs of its customers. “The consumer has a need, we simply try to address that need,” says Nagpal who believes that it is the ability to tier which helps in increasing the average revenue per user (ARPUs). “One cannot increase ARPUs through increasing the package price, it is a myth. It is only through introducing tiers that one can increase ARPUs, which is what we are doing,” concludes Nagpal.
