DTH Performance Report for September 2023

The DTH industry witnessed significant shifts in September 2023 with Tata Play emerging as the undisputed leader during this period, bolstering its offerings by a remarkable addition of 16 channels. Airtel Digital TV followed suit with 5 new channels, albeit at the cost of removing 6 others. Dish TV and d2h, on the other hand, made relatively modest updates, with Dish TV introducing 2 new channels, while d2h added a total of 6 channels, offset by the removal of one.

Tata Play

Tata Play demonstrated its dominance in September 2023 by introducing 16 new channels. This impressive lineup included diverse options such as Reporter TV, Tata Play Bollywood Masala, Bloomberg Television, ABZY Movies, News 360, Praja TV, Pratham Khabar 24×7, Sanskriti 24×7, Hare Krsna, Rongeen TV, R Plus, R Plus Gold, Vanitha TV, Mahaa News, NDTV Rajasthan, and NDTV MP/Chhattisgarh.

Tata Play achieved this remarkable expansion without removing a single channel from its existing lineup. Additionally, Tata Play’s strategic implementation of Jingalala offers during weekends has been a resounding success among its customers. Since the introduction of the New Tariff Order (NTO) in 2019, these weekend offers have consistently delighted viewers. Unlike many competitors, Tata Play’s ‘Jingalala offers’ stand out for providing Re 1 deals to a wide range of both high-value Standard Definition (SD) and High Definition (HD) channels instead of just platform services.

Airtel Digital TV

In a bid to revamp its channel lineup, Airtel Digital TV made significant changes in September 2023. While the platform welcomed 5 new channels – Desh News, Pudhari News, NDTV Rajasthan, Bharat Samachar, and AMV Network – it simultaneously bid farewell to 6 others namely Jantantra TV, Kalvi, Darshana TV, Kite Victors, Vidya, and Nipuna. Amidst these changes, Airtel Digital TV customers found themselves grappling with another challenge – increased costs. Several of Airtel’s base plans experienced price hikes, leaving subscribers dissatisfied.

Dish TV & D2H

Dish TV added two channels in September, namely Sai Leela TV and Dish Buzz HD & has not removed any channel from its platform. Last month was a fest for d2h customers as the operator added as many as 5 channels. The channels added are Sai Leela TV, Reporter TV, Sidharth TV, Zee Telugu News and the long pending Colors Cineplex Superhits, while the wait for Colors Cineplex Bollywood continues. Only one channel named Vendhar TV was removed by d2h during this period.

d2h is also offering 8 popular channels for free including Star Sports 1 for one year against yearly recharge of Rs 2023. Star Sports 1 is also free for three months against some long-term recharges. These offers are quite attractive for cricket lovers considering the ongoing Cricket World Cup.

Sun Direct

Sun Direct adopted a balanced approach in September 2023, maintaining a stance of neutrality when it came to channel additions or removals. However, Sun Direct customers did see some changes in its package pricing structure. The company made selective adjustments to its package prices resulting in a modest increase in the cost of some packages while others experienced a reduction. To improve its customer service experience, Sun Direct has also revamped its live chat feature to easily connect with any customer care executive.

DD Free Dish

The Free-to-air satellite television provider DD Free Dish welcomed a new addition to its channel lineup, ‘India Daily Live,’ which is yet another Hindi news channel for its users. However, this addition came at the cost of ‘Bharat 24,’ which was removed from the channel roster. It was also a national Hindi news channel that was launched on 15 August 2022 by Anurag Thakur, India’s Information & Broadcasting Minister.

This article was edited by Abhinav Kumar.