Mudasir 4K
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Channels Are Paying Rs. 6 Crore / Year & Even Turning FTA For A Slot On FreeDish.
FreeDish -
Doordarshan's
Free-To-Air DTH
platform is seeing
a huge surge in
interest from
broadcasters
wanting to join the
platform. Since
there are only
limited slots available on FreeDish, they are
auctioned to private sector channels.
An annual berth for 1 channel sold for Rs. 4 Crore a
year ago. Today, the auctioned price is Rs. 6 Crore,
and the next round of auctions are likely to fetch
even more !
Let's take a closer look at what has caused this
sudden interest in FreeDish.
FREEDISH
Doordarshan's FreeDish Ku Band service is primarily
purposed at making all Doordarshan channel
available countrywide, even in areas that are not
covered by Doordarshan's 1416 terrestrial
transmitters. FreeDish, is by intent, primarily a rural
reach service.
20 TO 30 M FREEDISH HOMES
Since FreeDish receivers are to be purchased by
individual from the open market, Doordarshan has
way of knowing how many Satellite receivers are
sold for its service. The number of FreeDish homes
is speculative at best.
At a conservative estimate, there are more than 20
million FreeDish subscribers. Many industry
observers peg this number closer to 30 million
homes. Some even speculate higher numbers, given
the fact that there are more than 39 million Pay
DTH STBs lying deauthorised with consumers.
These STBs can be used for reception of the
FreeDish service.
"Until BARC went to the rural market, nobody
believed the number of subscribers we have," Prasar
Bharati Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jawhar Sircar
told the press.
Currently Free Dish offers 64 MPEG-2 TV Channels,
and has promised to increase this to a total of 112
TV channels. The additional channels will be
MPEG-4 for which new STBs will be required. As a
result, a berth on the MPEG-2 channels is most
coveted, as it has the largest viewership.
BARC RURAL VIEWERSHIP
Recently, the Broadcast Audience Research Council
India (BARC India) started delivering rural ratings for
television viewership. This has increased the
population of BARC's sampled audience by 300%.
It has also provided broadcasters and advertisers
an idea of TV programs that rural India views.
Earlier only urban audiences were polled and
programs that targeted rural viewers went un-
reported.
The rural market also runs to a different beat. TV
Prime time viewing in the rural market is 5:30 pm
to 10:30 pm, while for Urban Indian markets it is
6.30pm to 11.30pm.
With BARC now reporting rural viewership, the
viewership ratings of channels has changed
dramatically, in some genres.
EXPLODING RURAL VIEWERSHIP
Approximately 40% of all Indian TV viewers are rural
based. Very significantly, due to growing rural
affluence, TV homes in rural India are growing at a
phenomenal 75% annual growth rate.
Clearly there are huge rewards for broadcasters who
can grow their rural viewership.
SCRAMBLE FOR FREEDISH
The biggest demand for carriage on Free Dish has
come from News channels. Recently Aaj Tak (the
Hindi News channel from TV Today Network) even
migrated from a pay Channel to FTA, to join
FreeDish.
Big Magic Ganga, the Bhojpuri channel from Anil
Ambani's Reliance Broadcast Network Limited
(RBNL) recently joined FreeDish. 85% of the total
viewers in Bihar and Jharkhand are DD FreeDish
subscribers, and the channel's viewership has
soared. Big Magic Ganga leapfrogged to second
position, below Bhojpuri Cinema. Ad rates for a 10
second slot which were approximately Rs. 1,000
will probably jump to Rs. 2000 or even Rs. 3000.
At an all-India level, FTA channels have grown 6.5
times versus 2.4 times for pay channels, according
to Tarun Katial, CEO of Reliance Broadcast Network
Ltd. Free-to-air channels Zee Anmol and Star Utsav
have been the biggest gainers of FTA channel
growth.
However, unlike news channels, the bigger Hindi
GEC channels are unlikely to turn free-to-air as their
subscription revenues are substantial, and relatively
immune to ratings.
However, some broadcasters may launch FTA
movie channels to attract rural viewers.
Clearly, with rural viewership being given the
attention it deserves, FreeDish has never had it so
good.
www.scatmag.com/article7.htm
FreeDish -
Doordarshan's
Free-To-Air DTH
platform is seeing
a huge surge in
interest from
broadcasters
wanting to join the
platform. Since
there are only
limited slots available on FreeDish, they are
auctioned to private sector channels.
An annual berth for 1 channel sold for Rs. 4 Crore a
year ago. Today, the auctioned price is Rs. 6 Crore,
and the next round of auctions are likely to fetch
even more !
Let's take a closer look at what has caused this
sudden interest in FreeDish.
FREEDISH
Doordarshan's FreeDish Ku Band service is primarily
purposed at making all Doordarshan channel
available countrywide, even in areas that are not
covered by Doordarshan's 1416 terrestrial
transmitters. FreeDish, is by intent, primarily a rural
reach service.
20 TO 30 M FREEDISH HOMES
Since FreeDish receivers are to be purchased by
individual from the open market, Doordarshan has
way of knowing how many Satellite receivers are
sold for its service. The number of FreeDish homes
is speculative at best.
At a conservative estimate, there are more than 20
million FreeDish subscribers. Many industry
observers peg this number closer to 30 million
homes. Some even speculate higher numbers, given
the fact that there are more than 39 million Pay
DTH STBs lying deauthorised with consumers.
These STBs can be used for reception of the
FreeDish service.
"Until BARC went to the rural market, nobody
believed the number of subscribers we have," Prasar
Bharati Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jawhar Sircar
told the press.
Currently Free Dish offers 64 MPEG-2 TV Channels,
and has promised to increase this to a total of 112
TV channels. The additional channels will be
MPEG-4 for which new STBs will be required. As a
result, a berth on the MPEG-2 channels is most
coveted, as it has the largest viewership.
BARC RURAL VIEWERSHIP
Recently, the Broadcast Audience Research Council
India (BARC India) started delivering rural ratings for
television viewership. This has increased the
population of BARC's sampled audience by 300%.
It has also provided broadcasters and advertisers
an idea of TV programs that rural India views.
Earlier only urban audiences were polled and
programs that targeted rural viewers went un-
reported.
The rural market also runs to a different beat. TV
Prime time viewing in the rural market is 5:30 pm
to 10:30 pm, while for Urban Indian markets it is
6.30pm to 11.30pm.
With BARC now reporting rural viewership, the
viewership ratings of channels has changed
dramatically, in some genres.
EXPLODING RURAL VIEWERSHIP
Approximately 40% of all Indian TV viewers are rural
based. Very significantly, due to growing rural
affluence, TV homes in rural India are growing at a
phenomenal 75% annual growth rate.
Clearly there are huge rewards for broadcasters who
can grow their rural viewership.
SCRAMBLE FOR FREEDISH
The biggest demand for carriage on Free Dish has
come from News channels. Recently Aaj Tak (the
Hindi News channel from TV Today Network) even
migrated from a pay Channel to FTA, to join
FreeDish.
Big Magic Ganga, the Bhojpuri channel from Anil
Ambani's Reliance Broadcast Network Limited
(RBNL) recently joined FreeDish. 85% of the total
viewers in Bihar and Jharkhand are DD FreeDish
subscribers, and the channel's viewership has
soared. Big Magic Ganga leapfrogged to second
position, below Bhojpuri Cinema. Ad rates for a 10
second slot which were approximately Rs. 1,000
will probably jump to Rs. 2000 or even Rs. 3000.
At an all-India level, FTA channels have grown 6.5
times versus 2.4 times for pay channels, according
to Tarun Katial, CEO of Reliance Broadcast Network
Ltd. Free-to-air channels Zee Anmol and Star Utsav
have been the biggest gainers of FTA channel
growth.
However, unlike news channels, the bigger Hindi
GEC channels are unlikely to turn free-to-air as their
subscription revenues are substantial, and relatively
immune to ratings.
However, some broadcasters may launch FTA
movie channels to attract rural viewers.
Clearly, with rural viewership being given the
attention it deserves, FreeDish has never had it so
good.
www.scatmag.com/article7.htm
