Technology Blog

Airtel DTH or Airtel Digital TV is more or less officially launched now. Although they have started it off late when compared to other already existing players like Dish TV, TATA Sky, and Big TV as well as Sun Direct, but still they have a huge scope in this market with DTH yet to reach majority of households in India as around 80% of them are still using the cable TV.

Airtel Digital TV too followed its previous market leaders’ path by offering free channels for one year by paying a joining or installation charges initially. Although it looks not impressive as you get to watch only around 70 channels for free initially and if you want to watch more channels other than the free channels you will need to pay extra for it.

This new Airtel DTH comes with a universal remote control, which can be used simultaneously for your TV and for your set-top box. This is a first of its kind for in DTH service, as we always need to struggle with two remotes while watching TV using our DTH previously.

Airtel Live, this is nothing but premium services from Airtel DTH through which you can order movie tickets, book your holidays, order movies on demand, astrology, and much more but it is not operational yet but will be soon as per their reports. With the movies on demand you can watch English as well as most regional language movies.

There is also an interactive feature called iNews at Airtel Live where you can watch two news channels at once. Similarly there are also iAstro, iTravel, iShope, etc. All these were additional features, which will be charged extra if you avail them. There is also a unique feature called iMatinee where you can book your movie tickets through Airtel Live from a multiplex near your neighbourhood.

Airtel DTH also comes with a satellite radio in association with Worldspace. You can listen to all the stations available in Worldspace through Airtel Digital TV.

The navigation part on Airtel DTH comes with a special feature called Electronic Programme Guide or EPG. With this you get an interactive electronic on-screen program menu which you can access from your remote itself. This EPG can be viewed also in Hindi.

They are rolling out plans based on three tariffs namely silver, gold and platinum. You can choose any package and can also switch between plans in between during your subscription period. You have the option of recharging your plans online as well as by calling their toll-free help line number or as always can visit your nearest Airtel dealer to recharge the same.

All the above features although looks promising, but still Airtel has not come up with any unique plans or offers to woo the existing users of DTH. To woo the existing users who mostly were contended with their existing service provider they would have to come up with something new or something amazing to get them switch or are they targeting only new customers who are yet to switch to DTH. Read more…

Four-way DTH war makes subscriber the king

MUMBAI: What happens when four biggies of the Indian business world decide that each wants to rule the same segment? One, their pockets burn real deep. Two, customers rule.

In the Direct to Home (DTH) market, installation charges as low as Rs 1,400 and a dirt cheap monthly subscription cost — less than Rs 100 — are fast becoming a reality. The number of channels is slated to go from 150 to 400 in a few months. Plus, digital video recorders and high definition (HD) are on their way.

This has doubled the industry growth. Officials from the market players told DNA Money that while three months ago, the industry was acquiring 2.5 lakh customers every month, the number has now doubled to 5 lakh, and could go up to 7-8 lakh in a few months once the new players settle down.

In lieu of this customer base, the industry will be shelling out around Rs 800 crore this year for advertisements and promotions, according to Salil Kapoor, chief operating officer of Dish TV, from the Zee stable.

And yes, with a minimum five-year gestation period, it is too early for anyone to be making money.

Arun Kapoor, president, Big TV, part of Reliance ADAG, said, “We will acquire, expand as soon as possible. This industry is not for the weak-hearted and certainly not for those without deep pockets.”

True. Maybe that’s why the Tata Sky DTH service invested Rs 2,000 crore to acquire 20 lakh customers, while another Rs 2,000 crore investment is on its way.

So what tools are the players using to woo customers now that pricing is hardly a differentiator anymore?

“The biggest differentiator is transparency and simplicity in pricing. The consumer shouldn’t have to research on whether he is being made to pay more than what is being showed,” said Salil Kapoor.

While Dish TV can probably take it easy, being the market leader, others are being ‘entertainingly’ aggressive.

Big TV claims it has acquired 5 lakh subscribers in its first two months. It plans to acquire four lakh subscribers per month with DVRs (digital video recorders), high definition channels and exclusive content.

With the customer base of Reliance Telecom and Reliance Energy ready to be tapped, maybe this number is achievable.

Similar strategies exist for others. Also big on their list is interactive services. Airtel, the fourth player in the market, has a tie-up with Infosys for interactive technology. Airtel is offering a common remote for both the set-top box and television, while Dish TV has begun to provide a banking platform on television with ICICI Bank.

Tata Sky has religious and educational programmes to lure customers.

Through that, the industry expects the current 70 lakh subscriber base to swell to 6 crore by 2015, 40% of the total television viewing households.

While players lock horns for market share, firing allegations at each other and blowing louder-than-reality trumpets, subscribers can sit back and have fun.

There will soon be even more channels to surf. Now, if only there was something good to watch! Read more…

In Today’s The Times of India front page has an advertising which hints at the possibility of upcoming launch of Bharti Airtel Digital TV.

We are already seeing houses with Airtel Dishes installed on them as the company continues to test out the services.

Bharti would become the next major player in this market which has become real competitive.

Zee Dish TV, Tata Sky, Reliance Big TV, Sun Direct DTH are some of the existing players in the Indian DTH market.

Checkout the Ad:

More…

As Published in The Economic Times – Bharti Airtel Ltd, India’s top telecom firm, said on Tuesday it would launch direct-to-home (DTH) satellite television services from O

ct. 9, initially in 62 cities.
“The penetration of the market is just about 3 percent. We have just seven million DTH customers in the country. This is a right time for Airtel to enter,” Manoj Kohli, the firm’s chief executive officer, told a news conference. Read more…