All Entries Tagged With: "Vikram Kaushik"
Hyper-competition has made DTH grow fast
It’s Vikram Kaushik’s last month at the helm as MD & CEO of direct-to-home TV provider Tata Sky. Kaushik, who took over as founding MD of the DTH operator in early 2004 from Colgate-Palmolive, turned 60 in September (though he looks years younger!) and continues till the year end, after which Harit Nagpal, who is now MD & CEO-Designate, takes over. Kaushik, after six years at the helm, leaves a satisfied man, even though, he says, a corporate’s agenda is never done. “What gives me satisfaction is that Tata Sky is clearly a premier DTH platform in the country — in terms »»»
A battle is brewing in your living room
New commanders have been chosen for a bruising fight in one of the world’s fastest-growing direct-to-home markets With the Indian direct-to-home (DTH) market set to become the largest in the world — touching a subscriber base of around 33 million by the end of the financial year — a battle is brewing between Dish TV and Tata Sky to corner a larger share of the pie. The two operators, who together service over half the subscribers, have outlined ambitious targets. While Dish TV aims to cross the 10-million mark by March 2011, Tata Sky, which is second in the pecking order, earlier this year »»»
DTH firms adopt smart tactics on pricing without real cuts
The festival season has sparked of a price war among DTH operators trying to get a share of the market. After Tata Sky brought down the price of its set-top box to Rs 999 last month, almost all players have slashed hardware prices between Rs 890 to Rs 1,200. However, it is unlikely that DTH operators are going to burn a hole in their pockets by selling the boxes at a low price. “Operators are smartly marketing themselves now. Earlier, the prices were high as the set-top boxes were sold bundled with channel packages. Now they are targeting the customer with a promise of low hardware cost,” said »»»
Tata Sky has invested Rs 35 billion in DTH venture
MUMBAI: Tata Sky, a joint venture between Tata Group and Star, has invested over Rs 35 billion in the direct-to-home (DTH) venture and has mopped up six million subscribers. The company has revised upwards its funding requirement to over Rs 40 billion. Earlier, Tata Sky had revisited its investment plan and earmarked Rs 40 billion as its capital requirement. “We have already spent over Rs 35 billion. The fund requirement will be over Rs 40 billion,” says Tata Sky managing director and chief executive officer Vikram Kaushik. The company, still incurring losses, is on course for operational break »»»
Govt needs to act quickly on licence fee cut
Having headed Tata Sky DTH service for over six years as its managing director and CEO, Vikram Kaushik will retire by the end of this year. Under his stewardship, Tata Sky has emerged as a trusted DTH brand amid a challenging market scenario with five rival DTH firms wooing the consumers. Kaushik tells Ashish Sinha that government needs to act quickly in supporting the DTH industry to promote digitalisation. Excerpts: Despite no relief from the government on reduction in licence fees or lowering of taxes, the DTH industry has grown. Do you still seek government support on these issues? On licence »»»
Q&A: Vikram Kaushik, CEO, Tata Sky
Vikram Kaushik is one of the most fashionable CEOs in the media business. The cut of his suit and the colour coordination of his shirts and ties are always perfect. A self-confessed shopaholic, Kaushik has the air of an elegant, somewhat fastidious, gentleman about town. It was these qualities that this post-graduate in history brought to the wild world of pay television in India and the entry of Tata Sky, a joint venture between Tata Sons and News Corporation, set the DTH (Direct-to-Home) market in India on fire. In the four years since its launch, Tata Sky has gone to an estimated Rs 1,000 crore-plus »»»
Vikram Kaushik: Broadcasters Shed Crocodile Tears
Vikram Kaushik Age: 59 years Designation: Retiring as MD & CEO of Tata Sky Education: Masters in History from St. Stephens College, Delhi Personal Interests: Studying Mandarin Chinese and French, yoga, reading up on philosophy and spending time with the family. There are seven DTH players today, ARPUs are low; taxation, you claim, is high for this industry. What is the way ahead for it to make profits? On the licence fee, TDSAT [Telecom Disputes Settlement And Appellate Tribunal] has now ruled that it should be levied at adjusted gross revenues and not gross revenues, removing cost of content, »»»
