DTH
Airtel Digital TV revenues, op profits rise in Q2 FY 2018
BENGALURU: Airtel Digital TV services (Airtel DTH), the DTH segment of Indian telecom major Bharti Airtel Limited (Airtel), saw revenue grow 10 percent for the quarter ended 30 September 2017 (Q2-18, current quarter) as compared to the corresponding year ago quarter (Q2-17, year ago quarter). The segment’s EBIDTA for Q2-18 increased 16 percent as compared to the year ago quarter (y-o-y). Over time, Airtel DTH segment’s contribution to Airtel India revenue has grown to about 6 percent.
Airtel DTH revenue in the current quarter increased to Rs 9,639 million from Rs 8,545 million, while EBIDTA increased to Rs 3,517 million in Q2-18 from Rs 3,030 million. EBIT increased by a massive 76 percent y-o-y to Rs 1,230 million from Rs 699 million. The company’s capex investments to Airtel DTH in Q2-18 increased 26 percent y-o-y to Rs 3,191 million from Rs 2,541 million, while cumulative investments in the segment increased 9 percent to Rs 75,435 million from Rs 69,453 million.
Airtel DTH subscriber matrices
Airtel DTH subscriber base grew by 207,000 to 13.521 million in Q2-18 from 13.314 million in the immediate trailing quarter (Q1-18). In Q2-17, Airtel DTH had a subscriber base of 12.405 million. Average revenue per user (ARPU) in Q2-18 increased to Rs 233 in Q2-18 from Rs 228 in Q1-18 and Rs 232 in Q2-18. The segment had a higher customer churn in the current quarter at 1.4 percent as compared to 0.9 percent in the immediate trailing quarter and 0.9 percent in the corresponding year ago quarter.
Overall, Airtel revenues for Q2-18 at Rs 246,520 million declined by 11 percent y-o-y primarily from Rs 246,520 million. Airtel India revenues declined 14.3 percent y-o-y to Rs 168,183 million from Rs 196,149 led by mobile drop of 16.8 percent y-o-y. The company says that the mobile market continues to experience value erosion and financial stress led by competitive pressures.
Mobile data traffic has grown fourfold to 784 billion MB in the quarter as compared to 178 billion MB in the corresponding quarter of last year. Mobile broadband customers increased by 33.6 percent to 55.2 million from 41.3 million in the corresponding quarter of last year.
Airtel’s profit after tax in Q2-18 declined to less than half at Rs 12,990 million from Rs 27,350 million in the corresponding year ago quarter. Net income declined to less than a fourth in the current quarter at Rs 3,430 million from Rs 14,610 million in Q2-17.
Airtel MD and CEO India & South Asia Gopal Vittal said, “The financial stress in the industry continues due to double digit revenue decline and will be further accentuated by the reduction in IUC rates in the next quarter. This will eventually force operator consolidation and exits as we have witnessed in the recent past. Airtel remains committed to its goal of increasing revenue market share in this competitive environment by providing superior customer experience and strategically investing behind building more data capacities.”
DTH
DD Free Dish e-auction revenue dips to Rs 642 crore as slot sales fall
Revenue dips as revised norms reshape bidding in 94th round
NEW DELHI: Prasar Bharati’s DD Free Dish has closed its 8th annual, and 94th overall, e-auction for MPEG-2 slots with total collections of Rs 642 crore for the period April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027.
That is lower than last year’s Rs 780 crore haul, with 55 slots sold compared with 61 in FY25–26. The softer topline reflects both a slimmer inventory and a recalibrated auction framework.
This was the first auction conducted after amendments to the e-auction methodology, including tighter eligibility norms and a revised reserve price structure for MPEG-2 slots. The stated aim was greater transparency and more serious participation. The immediate outcome appears to be more measured bidding in certain categories.
Day one set the tone. Eight slots were sold, six in the premium Bucket A+ and two in Bucket A. The strong early action in A+, which typically houses Hindi GECs and movie channels, reaffirmed the enduring appeal of mass Hindi programming on the platform.
Among the broadcasters securing slots in the initial rounds were Zee Entertainment Enterprises, Sony Pictures Networks India, Viacom18’s Colors network, Sun Network and Shemaroo Entertainment. Their continued presence signals that, despite the pull of digital platforms, Free Dish remains a strategic must have for legacy networks chasing scale in price sensitive markets.
The final bouquet of 55 channels leans heavily towards Hindi news, movies, devotional fare, Bhojpuri and regional programming.
In Hindi news, familiar heavyweights such as Aaj Tak, ABP News, India TV, News18 India, Republic Bharat and Zee News made the cut. Entertainment and movie offerings include Colors Rishtey, Star Utsav, Dangal TV, Sony Pal, Shemaroo TV, Goldmines, B4U Movies and Zee Biskope. Devotional viewers will find Aastha, Sanskar and Sadhna Gold among the selected channels.
Regional representation includes Sun Marathi, Fakt Marathi, PTC Punjabi and GTC Punjabi.
Equally telling were the absences. Broadcasters such as Big Magic, Filamchi Bhojpuri, India News, Bharat Express, Movieplex Maithili, TV9 Marathi, Shemaroo Marathibana, Zee Chitra Mandir and Satsang did not participate. The pullback is particularly visible across Marathi, Bhojpuri, Maithili and spiritual programming. Industry observers point to the revised reserve prices, tighter eligibility norms and a reassessment of commercial viability as possible factors.
DD Free Dish continues to beam into over 40 million homes, largely in rural and semi urban India. For advertisers and broadcasters alike, it offers efficient access to Bharat markets where pay TV penetration remains uneven and OTT subscriptions are limited.
The moderation in revenue this year may be read as a pause rather than a retreat. Fewer slots, a reworked auction playbook and evolving broadcaster strategies have clearly shaped outcomes. Yet premium Hindi entertainment retains its pull, and the platform’s mass reach remains hard to ignore.
As the FY26–27 line-up settles in, the mix of winners and walkaways will define the private satellite channel landscape on DD Free Dish for the year ahead.
