DTH
FY-2016: Airtel DTH revenue up 18 percent; adds 16.5 lakh subscribers
BENGALURU: DAS phase III has been a boost for the carriage industry in subscriber additions, revenues, and operating profits, more so during the last two quarters of FY-2016. Buoyed by the government’s decision to stick to deadlines for digitisation, the DTH industry in India is continuing its bloom run, if one were to go by the results reported by Bharti Airtel Limited about its Digital TV services (Airtel DTH) for the quarter and year ended 31 March 2016 (Q4-2016, current quarter, FY-2016, current year).
Revenue in FY-2016 increased 17.8 per cent to Rs 2,917.8 crore as compared to Rs 2,475.9 crore in the previous year.
Note: The unit of currency in this report is the Indian rupee – Rs (also conventionally represented by INR). The Indian numbering system or the Vedic numbering system has been used to denote money values. The basic conversion to the international norm would be:
(a) 100,00,000 = 100 lakh = 10,000,000 = 10 million = 1 crore.
(b) 10,000 lakh = 100 crore = 1 arab = 1 billion.
Revenue in Q4-2016 increased 23.6 percent year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 784 crore as compared to Rs 634.2 crore and increased 5.6 per cent quarter-on quarter (QoQ) from Rs 742.2 crore.
Airtel’s DTH segment reported EBIT (Earnings before interest and tax) of Rs 184.3 crore (6.3 per cent operating margin) as compared to a negative EBIT of Rs 158.1 crore in FY-2015.
The segment’s EBIT for Q4-2016 grew almost 9 fold (8.9 times) YoY to Rs 72 crore (9.2 per cent EBIT or operating margin) from Rs 8.1 crore (1.3 per cent operating margin) and increased 33.8 per cent QoQ from Rs 53.8 crore (7.2 per cent operating margin).
Subscription numbers
Airtel DTH added 16.52 lakh (16.4 per cent YoY growth) net subscribers in FY-2016 to bring its subscriber base to 117.25 lakh from 100.73 lakh in the previous year. Average revenue per user (ARPU) increased to Rs 229 as compared to Rs 214 in the corresponding quarter last year. Airtel DTH reported a monthly subscriber churn of 0.8 per cent in Q4-2016 as compared to a churn of 1 per cent for the corresponding quarter of last year and a slightly lower 0.7 per cent for the immediate trailing quarter.
Capex
DAS III has resulted in Airtel’s increasing the capex for its DTH segment for FY-2016 by 40 per cent (Rs 313.8 crore) as compared to the previous year. The company’s capex spend in FY-2016 was Rs 1098 crore as compared to Rs 784.2 crore in FY-2015. The company’s cumulative investments into Airtel DTH increased 20 per cent to Rs 6,490.6 crore in the current year as compared to Rs 5,410.9 crore in the previous year.
Bharti Airtel Limited numbers
Airtel DTH contributes just about 4 per cent to Bharti Airtel’s Limited. Bharti Airtel reported total revenue of Rs 96,619.2 crore in FY-2016, 4.9 per cent more than the Rs 92,135 crore in FY-2015. Revenue in Q4-2016 grew 8.4 per cent YoY to Rs 24,983.1 crore as compared to Rs 24,013.4 crore and grew 4 per cent QoQ as compared to Rs 23,039.8 in Q3-2016.
The company reported a profit after tax (PAT) of Rs 5,484.2 crore (5.7 per cent margin) in the current year as compared to Rs 5,183.5 crore (5.6 per cent margin) in the previous year. PAT in Q4-2016 2.8 per cent YoY to Rs 1,290.3 crore (5.2 per cent margin) as compared to Rs 1255.3 crore (5.4 per cent margin) and grew 15.5 per cent QoQ as compared to Rs 1,116.9 crore (4.7 per cent margin).
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.
