The HDTV boom is now a reality with most of the DTH players offering high definition television. As Sun ventured into HD television the rest of the DTH operators like Dish TV, Tata Sky, Reliance Big TV, Airtel Digital TV followed suit. With the FIFA World Cup being broadcast in HD television and the upcoming commonwealth games will be broadcasted in HD Television as well, HDTV has a long way to go. exchange4media spoke to some of the media planners to find out what do they think about the growth of HDTV in India and the affect on advertisers.

Manas Mishra, EVP and Country Head, Mudra Connext, said, “HDTV is now becoming an equaliser as most DTH brands have started offering HDTV. This feature helps consumers get a better picture and sound clarity which is always a welcome thing. Like for example in telecom services, when one brand offered a life time free for incoming calls, everyone else had to follow suit. HDTV is now the latest parity offering from DTH brands.”

Anamika Mehta, COO, Lodestar Universal commented, “The biggest challenge for HDTV is the bandwidth. Only a few HD channels are there and the reason why the HD explosion is not happening is because, they do not have the spectrum and bandwidth for HD transmission. The experience is fantastic and people are buying HD ready television sets but channels are not equipped to broadcast. Also the price is high and it is a drawback as Indian consumers are price sensitive and it will all boil down to the price value.”

She added, “It excites me because DTH penetration is limited. It is for the upmarket audience and makes sense as upscale brands will reach out to the audience more effectively.”

Kushal Sanghvi, Executive Director, Business Development, Media & Alliances, StratosHear said , “Clearly it is great for customers, years back they got used to DD, then 15 years back they got used to Cable & satellite television, 3 years back DTH came into the picture and right now its HD television. It is a great opportunity from the customer point of view to see and record content and audiences are shifting from the usual television to HD television.”

“It offers a different platform for connecting with brands. I see it as a great opportunity for reaching out to nuclear families. Also the content they offer engages the youth and the kids. So it is a good prospect for brands like Cadbury or Nestle who want to connect with the kids. From the advertisers perspective it is great as they can get their specific content.” said Sanghvi.

Surbhi C Murthy, Deputy General Manager, Allied Media observed, “I think moving forward on HD was foreseen but it has happened much earlier. I see it will give a lot of boost to the advertisers and this as a great opportunity for marketers as well. It means unadulterated attention which is wonderful and there is no clutter. This is going to be a very important component for the media planners.”

T Gangadhar, M.D. India, MEC said, “HD boom is happening but how many owners provide HD content is important. There should be more HD content, like this time FIFA is being shown in HD and also wildlife channels like Discovery and National Geographic are in HD. Two things will happen, one, the quality of advertising will go up and two, targeting more affluent groups will become possible because the cream will be watching HD television as the set top box is available at high prices and it will take time for HD to get democratised. Gaming in HD is also another opportunity DTH operators will cash on.”

Rajiv Gopinath, COO, Madison Media Infinity, having a different view about HD television commented, “There are 3 entry barriers today- a) HD compatible TV sets, which is still a miniscule percentage, b) HD Boxes – The seeding / migration to the same will take quite some time. None of the existing boxes are compatible for HD signals. Today the price is Rs 2000 + for a HD box and c) HD Content is very limited today- ESPN has HD only for FIFA and other special events, and National Geographic and Discovery have it for their shows. Conversion to HD boxes cannot happen with this content alone. 3D would out leap HD within 2 years or less. From the media planner’s view, the digital CS panel on TAM, due to low sample sizes, cannot get upper SEC data cuts. So there is a limitation in exploring the viewership of HD Channels among core audiences.”

Source: Exchange4media.com