All Entries in the "Sun Direct" Category
Tdsat turns down pleas of Tata Sky and sun direct against ESS’ HD pricing
NEW DELHI: The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (Tdsat) has turned down the pleas of direct-to-home (DTH) operators, Tata Sky and Sun Direct, against sports broadcaster ESPN Star Sports for arbitrarily pricing its HD service on two special sporting events. The Tdsat today directed Tata Sky and Sun Direct to pay ESPN Star Sports (ESS) at the rate of Rs 25 million for the telecast of soccer World Cup and Wimbledon in High Definition. Noting that Tata Sky had already paid a partial sum of Rs 17.7 million while Sun Direct has not paid any sum, Tdsat directed that it should pay interest »»»
Malaysia’s Astro raises Sun Direct stake to 35%
The Kalanithi Maran-owned Kal Media Services will get a Rs 396-crore infusion from Astro All Asia Networks Plc (Astro), a Malaysia-based cross-media group. The investment by the Malaysian group will increase its shareholding in Sun Direct, the country’s second largest DTH operator, by another 15 per cent from the current 20 per cent. Kal Media Services had applied for permission for Astro to pick up a 37.5 per cent stake in Kal Media Services. Kal Media Services was then meant to pick up a 40 per cent stake in Sun Direct, giving Astro an effective indirect stake of 15 per cent, taking Astro’s »»»
Sun Direct claims India’s lowest entry price
Kolkata, Oct 19 (IBNS) Sun Direct Pvt Ltd, the second largest direct-to-home (DTH) service provider in the country, is offering the lowest entry cost in the market, with the launch of the Value Packs in the North, said the company on Tuesday. Sun Direct has launched its Value pack offering the basic channels at Rs. 99 per month. The Value Pack consists of the most viewed regional channels like Star Utsav, Colors, Sony, Zee Cinema and Set Max, to name a few, along with popular national news, educational and entertainment based channels. Sun Direct will also be throwing in discounts on a la carte »»»
Festive season action in DTH space hots up
Mumbai: The direct-to-home (DTH) space is likely to witness a price war, with major players like Tata Sky, SunDirect and even Videocon D2H offering value packs at the onset of festive season. Analysts say that at a time when the DTH industry is expected to grow at a CAGR of close to 24%, a ‘one size fits all’ strategy doesn’t work for long. Hence, DTH players have to design packages suitable for rural consumer, enabling them to enjoy the digital content. Also, the future of the industry will largely depend on innovative marketing tactics adopted by DTH players. Tata Sky has launched Truchoice »»»
India’s direct-to-home market will soon be the world’s largest
However, it could take 3 years before operators are out of the red, given the large investments and tariff wars. India will replace the US as the world’s largest direct-to-home (DTH) market in the next six months, hitting over 32 million subscribers within the first quarter of the next calendar year. In 2009, there were 130 million DTH subscribers across the globe and the number grew by 14 per cent, according to international studies. Also, the high-definition DTH revolution will explode in India much earlier than what most pundits had predicted. Operators say by 2014, more than 10 per cent of »»»
No plans to cut price of DTH service, say players
Despite fierce competition among direct to home (DTH) companies, consumers are unlikely to see any further reduction in prices of new connections. Reducing costs would mean incurring more costs for the DTH players, who are yet to achieve a break-even. Tata Sky recently came out with new pricing of Rs 999, under which it offers only the equipment (set-top-box). The consumer is now free to choose the content package. “It is an unconditional offer, with no strings attached,” Mr Vikram Mehra, CMO, Tata Sky said. Rivals Dish TV, Sun Direct, Airtel Digital and Reliance Big TV claimed they were already »»»
Sun Direct gets FIPB nod for Astro to up stake
MUMBAI: Kalanithi Maran-owned Kal Media Services has got the government nod to induct foreign equity in an investing company, clearing the way for Malaysia-based Astro Group to increase its holding in Sun Direct from 20 per cent to 35 per cent. Astro is to pick up 37.5 per cent stake in Kal Media, according to the application. Kal Media Services was then to pick up 40 per cent stake in Sun Direct, giving Astro an effective indirect stake of 15 per cent, taking Astro’s effective holding in the DTH company to 35 per cent. Astro, via its subsidiary South Asia Entertainment Holdings, holds 20 per »»»
