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
GTPL Hathway posts FY26 revenue growth, Q4 slips into loss
Annual profit at Rs 5.88 crore; Q4 loss at Rs 5.90 crore
MUMBAI: A strong year met a shaky finish as GTPL Hathway closed FY26 on a high note only to stumble at the final hurdle. The company’s latest financials reveal a tale of two timelines: steady annual growth alongside a fourth-quarter dip that nudged it into the red. GTPL Hathway Limited reported total income of Rs 2,472.46 crore for the year ended March 31, 2026, marking a clear rise from Rs 2,223.00 crore in FY25. Revenue from operations stood at Rs 2,450.78 crore, up from Rs 2,193.38 crore a year ago, signalling consistent traction in its core cable TV and broadband business.
Yet, beneath the annual growth narrative, the March quarter told a different story. The company posted a net loss of Rs 5.90 crore in Q4 FY26, a sharp reversal from a profit of Rs 0.91 crore in the preceding quarter and Rs 8.15 crore in the same period last year. Total income for the quarter came in at Rs 618.46 crore, largely flat sequentially but higher than Rs 569.33 crore reported a year earlier.
The pressure was visible across the cost structure. Total expenses for the quarter rose to Rs 620.64 crore, marginally exceeding income and tipping the company into a loss before tax of Rs 7.87 crore. This compares with a profit before tax of Rs 1.22 crore in the December quarter and Rs 11.32 crore in Q4 FY25.
For the full year, however, profitability held firm. GTPL reported a net profit of Rs 5.88 crore in FY26, significantly lower than Rs 47.80 crore in FY25, but still in positive territory despite higher finance costs and operating expenses. Operating expenses alone climbed to Rs 1,884.53 crore for the year, up from Rs 1,603.53 crore, reflecting the increasing cost of running and scaling network infrastructure.
Finance costs also rose notably to Rs 33.57 crore in FY26 from Rs 22.19 crore in FY25, while depreciation and amortisation expenses stood at Rs 189.19 crore, underlining continued investments in assets and technology. Employee benefit expenses, however, declined to Rs 63.42 crore from Rs 77.08 crore, offering some relief on the cost front.
An exceptional item of Rs 5.69 crore during the year also weighed on profitability, compared with Rs 3.79 crore in the previous year. Meanwhile, tax adjustments, including deferred tax movements and prior-year adjustments, played a role in shaping the final earnings outcome.
Despite the quarterly wobble, the broader picture suggests a company still expanding its top line while grappling with margin pressures. With paid-up equity share capital unchanged at Rs 112.46 crore, the focus now shifts to whether GTPL can convert its revenue momentum into more stable, sustainable profitability in the coming quarters.
In short, FY26 may have delivered growth on paper but the closing chapter serves as a reminder that in business, as in broadband, consistency is everything.
