New Delhi: Creating yet another benchmark in technological innovation in the DTH industry, Dish TV India, the country’s largest direct-to-home service provider, announced the launch of Dish truHD+ with an unlimited recording capacity, at an unmatched price of Rs. 2690 for the consumers. The unique feature of Dish truHD+ is its compatibility with any USB device enabling consumers to simply plug and play an existing USB stick/ HDD, and build an entire library of their favorite programmes.

Dish truHD+ will have dual advantage of all HD and DVR features, at the price of existing HD box only! The price of 2690 includes the new Dish truHD+ box along with one month Dish truHD Royale Pack. Further, as a promotional offer Dish TV is providing a 4 GB USB drive free to get the user accustomed to the concept of plugging an external device to use the recording features. The DVR features include Record, rewind, forward, pause live TV etc. What’s more, subscribers can also enable time based and event based recording on the box.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. R.C Venkateish, Chief Executive Officer, D ish TV India said “Carrying forward the spirit of innovation that is integral to the Dish TV DNA, Dish truHD+ is the answer to the consumer need for enjoying recording functionality at an affordable price. Whilst most DVR’s charge a premium, our idea is to expand the DVR market by making it accessible at the price of a normal HD box. Furthermore, this box lends a huge advantage over other DVR’s in the market by offering “unlimited recording capacity”. This is possible due to a breakthrough technology that enables any external storage device to be plugged into the USB port of the Dish truHD+ box.

Mr. Salil Kapoor, Chief Operating Officer, Dish TV India, said emphasizing on the products and services, “We are committed to provide the best of technology in the industry and Dish TV brings unique innovation introducing the concept of Unlimited Recording through Dish TV truHD+. The benefits of latest technology truHD+ provide the flexibility in terms of choice to decide on Recording Capacity. Dish truHD+ will enable our consumer to store, save and watch their favorite programmes whenever they want. Also this demonstrate customer centric approach by Dish TV as new as well as old HD customers will get this technological upgrade at no extra cost. Dish truHD+ also introduces the concept of build your own library (Genre based).”

Ms. Anjali Malhotra, Executive Vice President, Marketing, Dish TV India, said that, “Coming at an unmatched price of only Rs 2690, Dish truHD+ will be the only HD box in the market that will offer a Recording facility, at NO EXTRA COST, whilst HD features have become tablestakes. If one were to compare this box with other DVR’s in the market, the Dish truHD+ box would stand a huge price advantage at an unmatched price of Rs.2690/- against the usual cost 5k to 6k, whilst it matches them feature for feature”!

Dish truHD+’ offers dual advantage of HD and DVR where consumer can enjoy stunning picture quality of 1080i, 16:9 picture format with 5.1 surround sound that is far richer than standard definition viewing and comes equipped with the latest MPEG4 technology. In addition to this the same box is used as DVR as well by a simple “plug-n-play” through an external USB device. This enables all benefits of a traditional DVR like recording and playing back programs, Pausing or Rewinding live TV, different play-back positions, event based recording (EBR), time based recording (TBR) and so on.

About Dish TV India
Dish TV is India’s largest direct-to-home company and part of the biggest media conglomerate – Zee Group. Dish TV has on its platform 330+ channels and services including 21 audio channels with 12.5 million subscribers, which is growing. The company has a vast distribution network of about 1400 distributors and 55,000 dealers that spans around 6600 towns across the country. Dish TV has 24*7 call centres with 1600 seats in 11 different languages to take care of subscriber requirements at any point of time. For more information on Dish TV, visit www.dishtv.in

NEW DELHI: Direct to home (DTH) service provider Dish TV India Ltd is focusing on new customer acquisition, high definition technology and digitisation to strengthen its position in the highly competitive DTH market.

“In the next one year, our agenda for growth is to acquire new customers and take the benefit of digitisation,” Dish TV Managing Director Jawahar Goel told PTI.

On the product and services side, the focus will be on high definition, he added.

In 2010-2011, the company added 3.5 million new subscribers.

“In the current fiscal the number of new subscribers will be less as there were no major sports events and even the overall consumer sentiment is not too positive. However, once digitisation kicks off, the rate of growth will be really fast,” Goel said.

In December last year a bill has been passed that mandates complete digitisation of cable TV across the country by December 2014.

As a part of its product portfolio expansion, the company today launched a new high definition (HD) digital video recorder — The Dish truHD+ — that will be sold to consumers at Rs 2,690.

Dish TV is also offering a free upgrade to its consumers who already own an HD set-to-box.

“Out of the total number of 12.5 million subscribers, around 2 per cent are on HD. We expect all of them to upgrade to the newly launched HD DVR,” Dish TV Chief Executive Officer R C Venkateish said.

The idea of this launch is to expand the (digital video recorder) DVR market by making it accessible at price of a normal HD box, he said.

“It will give us dominance in the HD domain,” he added. In an attempt to reach out to on-the-go customers Dish TV has also installed connection on Shatabdi Express Trains.

“We have already done one train on a trial basis. By June this year, Dish TV will be available on nine Shatabdi Express trains,” Goel added.

The company has recently launched a new advertising and marketing campaign featuring Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan, who is Dish TV’s brand ambassador.

“We are spending Rs 25 crore on the new ‘Dish Sawaar Hai’ campaign,” Dish TV COO Salil Kapoor said.

As per government estimates, the total number of DTH subscribers in India is around 45 million split between players like Dish TV, Tata Sky, Sun TV, airtel digital TV, Videocon DTH and Reliance Big TV.

Source: The Economic Times

NOIDA, India; January 19, 2012 – Dish TV India Limited (Dishtv) (BSE: 532839, NSE: DISHTV) today reported third quarter fiscal 2012 results. Operating revenues were Rs. 4,905 million, representing a 31.4% growth over the corresponding period last fiscal. EBITDA for the quarter stood at Rs. 1,201 million, compared to Rs. 662 million in the corresponding period last fiscal. EBITDA margin stood at 24.5%. Continued foreign exchange loss hiked net loss by Rs. 156 million.

The Board of Directors in its meeting held today, has approved and taken on record the unaudited financial results of Dish TV for the quarter ended on December 31, 2011.

Mr. Subhash Chandra, Chairman, Dish TV India Limited, said, “As the world at large continues to stare at economic uncertainty in the face, India remains cautiously optimistic but vulnerable to the risks associated with a slowing global economy.”

“Despite a challenging macroeconomic environment and resultant price sensitivity, subscriber additions across the DTH industry have been encouraging. With digitalization expected to boost subscriber additions, Dish TV is well-entrenched to further build on its supremacy while also targeting larger uptake of ARPU accretive HD subscribers,” he added.

Mr. Jawahar Goel, Managing Director, Dish TV, said, “The festival quarter ending December has traditionally been a bigger contributor in terms of subscriber additions and revenue compared to the other quarters. This year, though the category outperformed on a year-on-year basis in the month of October being ‘Diwali’ time, subscriber additions thereafter witnessed a slowdown. Notwithstanding the fallout in terms of lower additions what is heartening is that Dish TV, followed by much of the industry, was able to initiate and sustain a significant price hike at the entry level. The price hike was taken to offset the unprecedented rupee depreciation in the last few months. Dish TV continued to maintain its lead in incremental share in a six player market.”

Commenting on mandatory digitalization, Mr. Goel added, “While on-ground activity in terms of subscriber demand is yet to catch up speed, Dish TV endeavors to retain its market share in an expanding digital universe. We believe that Dish TV with its strong brand equity and field infrastructure is likely to be one of the preferred choices of the potential digital consumer.”

Talking about the third quarter results, Mr. Goel said, “A larger base contributed to a flat ARPU in this quarter. However, the recent price hike is likely to filter through and add to the ARPU in the coming quarters.”

“Due to a further 8% depreciation of the rupee against the US dollar in this quarter, there is an additional foreign exchange loss of Rs. 156 million. The foremost reason for this loss is significant foreign currency debt which needs to be reported using the closing exchange rate. However, despite a significant portion of the capital equipment being dollar denominated, SAC remained within expectation largely due to the substantial inventory and higher entry price. Bottom line profitability remains realistic but for the notional loss due to foreign exchange fluctuation,” he elaborated.

Dish TV continues to invest in new technologies and content. The platform added 8 new channels during the quarter and remains the only DTH provider in the country to have a fail proof twin satellite arrangement. Enjoying significant advantage over its peers, Dish TV with its existing bandwidth can accommodate the highest number of High Definition channels on its platform. With mandatory digitization flowing through urban markets in the first two phases of implementation, High Definition service is likely to generate significant consumer interest.

At Dish TV, enhancing customer experience remains a key focus; the company in its endeavor to reach out far and wide is always on the look-out for increasing consumer touch points. During the quarter ended December ‘11, Dish TV added close to ten thousand such locations.

Dish TV India Limited continues to be the largest DTH Company in India and the whole of Asia Pacific and is ranked the third largest DTH platform in the World.

Dish TV moves into a new Brand space

Ever since its launch, Dish TV has stood out as the market leader in the DTH category in India. As it geared up to take the next big leap with digitalization, it was time for it to move to a new brand space to further enhance its bonding with the television viewer.

The thought was to position Dish TV as a brand which enables the passionate television viewer to keep his passion alive by not compromising with his television viewing experience. The new base line of the brand, ‘Dish Sawaar Hai’ (Dish TV is on your mind), is a reflection of the viewers passion for watching entertainment through Dish TV.

The newly launched brand song is capturing the mindshare of television consumers across the country.

From an advertising standpoint the 360 degree campaign, which is actively supported by Digital and Social media initiatives, is intended to showcase a DTH platform that meets aspirations and gets the endorsement of the passionate television viewer.

Dish TV 3Q FY12 Earnings Release

Dish TV 3Q FY12 Results

Dish TV, the DTH operator, to strengthen its relationship with consumers, has changed its positioning from ‘Ghar Aayi Zindagi’ to ‘Dish Sawar Hai’.

The thought for the new positioning is based on the strong consumer insight that people who are passionate about entertainment do not let anything come in the way of it, and therefore, never compromise when it comes to their TV viewing experience.

Anjali Malhotra Nanda, vice-president, marketing, Dish TV, says, “DTH is a very dynamic industry which changes very fast. Therefore, it is important to be consistent in the relationship with consumers. The idea behind the new positioning is to place Dish TV as a brand which enables the immersed, passionate viewer to keep his passion alive.”

To promote its new positioning, the company will introduce campaigns in a phased manner. In the first phase, it has allocated a marketing budget of Rs 25 crore, which includes various activities and a television commercial. Conceptualised by McCann Erickson, the TVC features its brand ambassador Shah Rukh Khan, who sings the song ‘Dish Sawar Hai’.

Dish TV will soon launch the song as an anthem, which will be further promoted through various audio-led on ground activations. It has also launched a new website, Dishsawarhain.com, where it has introduced many activities. Moreover, it has created pages on Facebook and Twitter.

This is not the first time that the brand has changed its positioning. In 2009, it had opted for a complete overhaul, with a new logo and a new tagline, and shifted focus from functional communication to a more emotional one. Earlier, the brand has also run campaigns on baselines such as ‘Santusht’ and ‘Sabse Zyaada’.

Source: afaqs!

The king of Bollywood — Shah Rukh Khan — is all set to dole out a new dose of entertainment donning seven avatars for a direct-to-home (DTH) service ad.

Having played the elusive don twice, King Khan is not yet done with playing different characters. He now plays a police officer, a magician, a corporate honcho, a doctor and a Greek warrior. Needless to say that he looks dashing and delectable in each avatar.

While his various looks remind the viewers of a certain perfectionist Khan taking the same lane for promoting a rival DTH service, SRK’s charisma would be difficult to resist.

Source: India Today

NEW DELHI: Broadcast tribunal TDSAT has dismissed the plea of Media Pro to hear it as a party in the dispute between DTH operator Dish TV and the global sports broadcaster ESPN on their subscription agreement.

Media Pro Enterprise is a 50:50 joint venture between the Star Den and Zee Turner. Star Den is channel distributing arm of media giant Star, while Zee Turner is for the Zee group and global media leader Turner International.

Dismissing the application of Media Pro, TDSAT said that it was a dispute between a broadcaster and a DTH operator, and although its outcome may impact the broadcast industry it was not feasible to hear every one in the case.

“They may have some repercussion/impact on the industry, but the same would not mean that a question of law needs be answered only upon hearing all those, who may be concerned therewith. If such a stand is taken, this Tribunal may have to implead all the broadcasters and all the DTH operators,” the tribunal said.

TDSAT is hearing Dish TV’s plea, which has approached the tribunal seeking renewal of its subscription agreement with ESPN for its three channels – ESPN, ESPN Star Sports and Star Cricket.

The DTH operator has requested the tribunal to direct ESPN either to renew its earlier agreement or sign a new one as per its Reference Interconnect Offer (RIO).

The issue which is to be decided by TDSAT is whether the order of the Supreme Court on pricing of channels for DTH would be applicable on the pre-exiting contracts between the operator and broadcaster or not.

On April 18, the apex court had raised the subscription price of a channel for a DTH operator to 42 per cent price of the local cable rate. It had also stayed the order of TDSAT, which had approved the 35 per cent figure of sectoral regulator Trai.

Media Pro wanted to be a party in the matter before the tribunal contending that any interpretation of the apex court’s order would have an impact on its existing as well as future agreements with DTH operators.

However, rejecting it, TDSAT said RIO of each broadcaster – based on which they share their channels – was different and a common interpretation was not possible.

“A question of Interpretation of a statute, however, by itself cannot be a ground for allowing an application for impleadment. Moreover, the RIOs of each broadcaster are different,” the tribunal said.

TDSAT added that if it finds that its order has industry wide ramifications, it may take the assistance of experts and may hear the other parties concerned.

Source: The Economic Times

Details of plan not final, but limited scope for yet more leverage.

Dish TV, the country’s largest direct-to-home television company, is reaching out to private equity and institutional investors for a fresh round of fund raising, which could turn out to be the highest in the sector.

Dish is believed to have appointed investment banks UBS and Macquarie to help raise around Rs 1,000 crore ($200 million) of equity to fund expansion and investment in upgrading technology, said sources.

The final structure is unclear, as is the extent that existing shareholders would dilute stake, as preliminary talks have just begun. The promoters, the Zee Group’s Subash Chandra Goel and his family, hold close to 65 per cent stake in the company. Analysts feel a significant dilution is unlikely. “We have got the necessary approval from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board but we haven’t decided on the amount, time frame and how the money will be raised,” said R C Venkateish, chief executive

The DTH sector has a foreign holding cap at 49 per cent. In Dish, the foreign investment is 27 per cent. DTH is a system of receiving TV programmes from satellite within homes through personal dish antennas, bypassing cable operators. India is set to become the largest DTH market in the world in terms of subscribers next year, overtaking America, according to a study by Media Partners Asia.(Click here for table & graph)

Earlier round
Two years earlier, Dish TV issued fresh shares for a round of fund raising from PE investors. New York-based asset management firm Apollo Management picked up an 11 per cent stake for $100 mn (Rs 465 crore) after the company raised money through global depository receipts. Sources said it was unlikely Apollo would look at an exit, for despite the stock dropping a little over 10 per cent in the past month, its two-year investment in the company was making money. Apollo’s investments were done at Rs 39.85/share. On Thursday, the stock closed at Rs 64.60 on the Bombay Stock Exchange.

Dish’s attempts to win subscribers in a crowded market have stretched its balance sheet and left the company highly leveraged. DTH companies bear part of the cost of equipment sold to a new consumer. This is to attract customers, with the expectation that they’d pay back and generate more money over time through monthly subscription fees.

Dish has a gross subscriber base of 12 mn, with around 30 per cent market share in a six-player market. But quarterly losses are rising. During the July-September quarter, Dish recorded a 48 per cent jump in revenue to Rs 482 crore, compared to Rs 326 crore in the corresponding quarter last year. However, there was a net loss of Rs 48.6 crore, against Rs 45.2 crore in the same period last year. The company also added 577,000 subscribers in the quarter.

Investment, growth
“India’s DTH market has seen a scorching pace of growth in subscriber additions, with six players. This has resulted in hyper competition and low average revenue per user (Arpu). As the sector is very capital-intensive and requires continuous investments for new technology like high-definition, the companies will have to look at raising additional capital,” said the head of a rival company.

Dish recently raised prices. According to estimates by Emkay Global, a rise of six per cent on the base pack that close to 45 per cent of the customers subscribe to should improve its revenue. Dish intends to end this financial year with an Arpu of Rs 160-165.

Investors to the company will count on the growth numbers for the DTH segment. “The combined strength of Dish, Tata Sky, Sun Direct, Reliance Big, Airtel Digital and Videocon D2H should overtake the US’ Direct TV and Dish Network, translating into a 20 per cent lead over the American DTH market of 35 million users next year,” said the Media Partners Asia study.

Source: Business Standard

NEW DELHI: The Government has permitted Dish TV India to increase foreign equity to the extent of Rs 9.8 billion. The leading direct-to-home company had sought permission to raise funds to produce telecommunication equipment and provide management and marketing of ‘agrani’ services in the area of Mobile Satellite Communications.

Indiantelevision was first to report that the company is looking to raise $200 million from overseas investors.

Meanwhile, NDTV Lifestyle Ltd has been permitted to increase in foreign equity up to 100 per cent. The company is engaged in the media industry for up-linking, producing, distributing and broadcasting non-news and non- current affairs TV channels. This will not involve any additional FDI.

The decisions are based on the recommendations of the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) in its meeting held on 15 November, 2011.

The scheme of merger relating to Cyquator Media Services, a company engaged in the business of providing back-end information technology services and sale of advertisement space in various modes of media, has been deferred.

The proposal of Omnimedia to amend the Clause 2 of the FC approval to undertake the business of publishing/ printing of scientific and technical magazines/ specialty journals/ periodicals in the name and style of “Energetica-India” and circulation of its digital version has also been deferred.

The Finance Ministry has also deferred the proposal by Springer Editorial Services to increase foreign equity up to 100 per cent to carry on the business of publishing services, content, development, content management, content outsourcing, providing a comprehensive service including data conversion, editorial services, pre-press, press, pre-media services, digital communication services, data based management, digitization services, data based engineering.

Another proposal deferred was by Reed Elsevier India to undertake the additional activity relating to the business of publishing and co-publishing (in and outside India), including digital publishing, printing, reprinting, adaptation, article reprinting, repackaging, translation, distribution of scientific, technical, medical, specialty and research journals/magazines/periodicals in any media including print media.

The Ministry rejected the proposal by Indusind Media and Communication (IMCL) for conversion of CNCRPS. The company is engaged in the business of cable network distribution.

Source: Indiantelevision.com

Returns on investments in the DTH sector have long gestation period and, hence, the company needs to raise additional capital to continue investing in its business.

In what may be the biggest inflow of foreign investment in the direct-to-home (DTH) business by any private operator, Dish TV, the country’s largest DTH operator, is set to raise up to $200 million (around `1,000 crore) by issuing equity shares to overseas investors through multiple financial instruments, including Global Depository Receipts (GDRs), American Depository Receipts (ADRs) and Foreign Currency Convertible Bonds (FCCBs), among others. The company had raised about $100 million in November 2009 via a GDR issue to private equity firm Apollo Management in lieu of an 11 per cent stake.

Dish TV has now sought permission from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB), which is scheduled to take up the matter soon.

When contacted, company executives confirmed having sought the FIPB permission to raise up to $200 million.

“The DTH services sector is very capital intensive and requires, on a continuing basis, high investments for financing installation of consumer premises equipments like set top box, antenna, cable etc. Returns on investments in the DTH sector have long gestation period and, hence, the company needs to raise additional capital to continue investing in its business,” the company is said to have told FIPB in its application.

Currently, the overall foreign shareholding in Dish TV stands at around 27 per cent, which includes FDI of 14.55 per cent and Foreign Institutional Investors (FII) share of a little under 13 per cent. Post the fund-raising exercise, the overall foreign shareholding in the company may reach around 38-40 per cent, well below the mandated 49 per cent mark for the DTH sector, which includes a 20 per cent FDI cap within 49 per cent foreign investment limit.

Source: Indian Express

Al Jazeera Network has launched its English channel, Al Jazeera English, across India today on the Dish TV direct-to-home (DTH) platform. The Qatar-headquartered broadcaster expects Al Jazeera English to reach 11.7 million Dish TV subscribers across India and will be available to over 48 million individuals.

The channel will be available in Dish TV’s family pack tier on Channel 618.

“We are delighted to be launching on Dish TV today,” Al Anstey, Managing Director of Al Jazeera English, told BestMediaInfo. “India is an emerging leader in today’s globalised world, and a critical country for Al Jazeera English to broadcast across. We are confident that our coverage will be of enormous interest and value to audiences across India. Through our vast network of reporters worldwide, we provide eyewitness reports from all corners of the globe. We are uniquely placed to deliver honest and in-depth coverage.”

Al Jazeera English is an international news channel, with over 70 bureaus around the world spanning six continents. Since its inception in 2006, it has continued to grow in reach and popularity due to its global coverage, especially from underreported regions. The channel currently broadcasts to over 250 million households across 130 countries, a number that is expected to grow as the channel expands throughout India.

The international news provider has operated a bureau in New Delhi since its establishment five years ago. The bureau is headed by its Bureau Chief Anmol Saxena. Al Jazeera has produced a showreel of its highlights since 2006 for its India launch. Take a look:

The DTH market has been one of significance with broadcasters. According to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the first three months of 2011 saw a climb in the number of DTH subscribers registered with private service providers by 3.51 million to 35.56 million, making it a promising platform for international news broadcasters such as Al Jazeera English.

Source: BestMediaInfo.com