Small screen, big battle: DTH players and cable industry fight it out
‘Wish karo, Dish karo’ pleads SRK, even as Tata Sky claims to make life ‘Jhinga La La’. With DTH operators on a promotion frenzy and reducing subscription rates, where does this leave the neighbourhood cablewallah? exchange4media takes a look.

‘Wish karo, Dish karo’ pleads SRK, even as Tata Sky claims to make life ‘Jhinga La La’. With DTH operators on a promotion frenzy and reducing subscription rates, where does this leave the neighbourhood cablewallah?
Currently, there are three DTH players Tata Sky, DishTV and Sun Direct, which claims to be a strong player in the South. More are waiting in the wings – Reliance ADAG’s Big TV is set to launch in July; Bharti’s DTH venture is expected to launch soon; ETH Air TV is also breaking through the market by positioning itself differently.
Faced with stiff competition from the DTH players, cable operators are strengthening their networks using proper digital headends, where they have more opportunities of earning revenues from value added services. Cable operators are offering a price structure fixed by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).
Roop Sharma, President, Cable Operators’ Federation of India (COFI), said, “Cable operators offer personalised wider access to digital entertainment. The cable industry is growing at a rate of 18 per cent per annum. The total market size of cable operator is 75 million and cable operators are already using a digital system.”
On the other hand, DTH operators claim that they score over cable in terms of geographical mobility. Moreover, DTH operators claim to deal with their consumers directly.
Tata Sky, a joint venture between the Tata Group and STAR, was launched on August 8, 2006. It offers five different packages, designed to suit the varying needs of the subscribers. Tata Sky recently reduced its subscription rates for the different packages.
Vikram Kaushik, Managing Director & CEO, Tata Sky Ltd, said, “In a record period of just 20 months, we have crossed the two million connection mark, making Tata Sky the fastest growing DTH platform across the globe. To ensure that every TV household in the country has access to digital quality entertainment at an affordable price, we have reduced the price of our current subscription packages. Further, we have introduced new monthly packages to provide our subscribers with the flexibility of subscribing to select premium channels only when it is relevant to them, rather than paying for them through the year.”
Tata Sky offers over 150 TV channels and interactive services in DVD quality picture.
DishTV’s features include Electronic Programme Guide, parental lock, a capacity of up to 400 channels, games, interactive TV, movie on demand, etc. DishTV, which started out by offering 48 channels, now claims to offer over 180 channels, catering to over 3.25 million subscribers across the nation. DishTV claims to have a 60 per cent share of the market.
DishTV has a package offering 150 channels for Rs 300 per month. The great value proposition includes 40 extra channels, over and above the competitive package. Moreover, all sports channels (which have been added as extra add-ons by the competition) are already available on the same pack for DishTV subscribers. This amounts to a saving of up to Rs 45 per month for DishTV subscribers.
Meanwhile, Reliance ADAG’s Big TV claims that it proposes to be the cheapest DTH player in the country. Big TV has managed to get on board all Doordarshan, STAR, Sony, Zee and NDTV channels, along with some other sports, regional news and regional entertainment channels. The company is offering the service at Rs 100 per month with digital facilities and as well as pay-per-view channels.
Sterling Group is commencing its DTH service under the aegis of ETH Air TV in 2009. ETV Air TV would be completely focused on educational content. Apart from this, ETH Air would also be looking into regional markets, focussing on coaching classes with more local or city-specific content.
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E4M Our strategy is to target younger audiences through Sports: Rajiv Dubey, Dabur
The Head of Media at Dabur India spoke exclusively to exchange4media on the World Cup, associating with Indian Idol, the company’s digital spending and much more
With quirky campaigns, memes and moment marketing, timed with the ongoing World Cup and particularly the India-Pakistan matches, Dabur India has got considerable consumer attention for its popular brands – Red Paste, Cool King Hair Oil, Chyawanprash, Dabur Vita and the recently launched Bae Fresh Gel toothpaste.
The 140-year-old company is going big on key sporting events, World Television Premiere (WTP) movies and reality shows. It is now gearing up to become the title sponsor of popular talent show ‘Indian Idol’ on Sony TV for the first time, shared Rajiv Dubey, who leads the media strategy at Dabur.
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Swapan Seth's new book 'COOL' is out
The book is a reflection of the author's 'eclectic taste across categories'
Advertising professional and art collector Swapan Seth has announced the launch of his new book COOL. The book is described as "a ready reckoner to the hip and the happening, of the known and the very unknown."
The book is a reflection of the author's "eclectic taste across categories: from boltholes to exotic hideaways."
COOL has been published by Simon & Schuster India and is available on Amazon.
Seth is an ad veteran with a long and illustrious career in the industry. He became the youngest-ever Creative Director at Clarion at age 24. He was VP at 26 at Trikaya Grey. Two years later, he started his agency Equus.
He writes for publications such as The Economic Times, Hindustan Times and India Today. This is his second book and he has previously published THIS IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY.
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Disney Star signs 9 sponsors for Asia Cup PAK
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up come on board
e4m Staff Disney Star has signed nine broadcast and digital streaming sponsors for the upcoming Asia Cup.
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up have come on board for the upcoming tournament.
As reported earlier by exchange4media, Disney Star has sought Rs 26 crore for the co-presenting sponsorship on TV and Rs 30 crore for Disney+ Hotstar.
According to industry sources, the associate sponsorship on Star Sports has been priced at Rs 19.66 crore, whereas for the ‘powered by’ sponsorship on Disney+ Hotstar, the broadcaster is seeking Rs 18 crore.
As per the information available with exchange4media, Disney+ Hotstar has three sponsorship tiers-- co-presenting (Rs 30 crore), powered by (Rs 18 crore) and associate sponsorship (Rs 12 crore). The broadcaster is offering an estimated reach of 120-140 million for co-presenting sponsors, 90-100 million for powered by and 60-70 million for associate sponsorship.
A spot buy for 10 seconds has been priced at Rs 25 lakh for the India vs Pakistan matches, while for the non-India matches, the ad rate for 10 second is Rs 2.3 lakh. The India matches plus the final for ODIs has been priced at Rs 17 lakh per 10 seconds.
Asia Cup is scheduled to be held from 30 August, 2023, to September 17, 2023.
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Sorted 360 wins creative & social media mandate of Reliance Mall
The agency will manage offline and online campaigns for Reliance Mall
Sorted 360, an integrated creative and social media agency, has won the mandate to providing brand solutions for Reliance Malls across India.
“Sorted 360 is set to enhance Reliance Malls' market presence with their unparalleled creative prowess and strategic thinking,” read a press release.
“Sorted 360's commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative communication aligns perfectly with Reliance Malls' ethos. With a pan-India presence spanning across 19 cities and growing, Reliance Malls has consistently captivated customers by offering an array of Reliance brands and third-party fashion & lifestyle brands. The mall has established an unparalleled connection with its patrons through superior quality, a remarkable value proposition, and an unmatched shopping experience,” it read further.
"We are thrilled to welcome Sorted 360 as our trusted partner in advancing our brand presence across the nation," said the Head of Marketing at Relaice Malls. "Their proven expertise in retail, shopping center management, and innovative creative strategies make them the perfect fit for our vision."
"Partnering with Reliance Malls is a testament to our commitment to shaping extraordinary brand experiences," remarked Prerana Anatharam, Co-founder of Sorted 360. "We are excited to leverage our strategic and creative acumen to further elevate Reliance Malls as the epitome of convenience, choice, and excellence."
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KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias
Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments
KlugKlug has appointed Hemang Mehta as its Country Manager for India.
Mehta will play a pivotal role in driving KlugKlug's growth and expansion within the Indian market and be responsible for Sales & GTM Strategy
Prior to that, he has also represented organisations like Exponential (now VDX.tv), India Today Digital and Rediff.com. His expertise spans various domains including digital media sales, mobile marketing, media planning, and buying, social media marketing, and more.
Hemang Mehta expressed his enthusiasm about joining KlugKlug, saying, "I am thrilled to be a part of KlugKlug, a forward-thinking platform that is reshaping the influencer marketing landscape. As much as I look forward to collaborating with the exuberant team at KlugKlug, I am super excited to interact with the brands to deliver powerful data-backed Influencer solutions that will guarantee business outcomes."
Commenting on the appointment, Kalyan Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of KlugKlug, stated, "We are excited to welcome Hemang Mehta to our team as the Country Manager for India. His extensive experience in digital media sales and marketing will be instrumental in driving our efforts to provide influencer marketing solutions to our clients. We believe Hemang's leadership will be key in scaling our operations and expanding our reach within the Indian market."
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