DTH
Q1-2016: Airtel DTH revenue up 15.8% at Rs 684.8 crore
BENGALURU: Bharati Airtel Limited’s Digital TV services – Airtel DTH reported 15.8 per cent increase in y-o-y revenue to Rs 684.8 crore in the quarter ended 30 June, 2015 (Q1-2016) as compared to the Rs 591.5 crore in Q1-2015 and 7.9 per cent more than the Rs 634.8 crore in Q4-2015.
The telecom major’s DTH segment reported a 67 per cent growth in operating profit (EBIDTA) in the current quarter at Rs 240.8 crore (46.1 per cent margin) as compared to the Rs 143.8 crore (24.3 per cent margin) in Q1-2015 and 15.9 per cent more than the Rs 207.8 crore (32.7 per cent margin) immediate trailing quarter.
Note: 100,00,000 = 100 lakh = 10 million = 1 crore
The Airtel DTH segment customer base reported 10.9 per cent y-o-y growth for the current quarter at 104.12 lakh as compared to the 93.88 lakh in Q1-2015 and 3.4 per cent growth as compared to the 100.73 lakh in Q4-2015. Average revenue per user (ARPU) in Q1-2016 improved to Rs 222 as compared to the Rs 214 in both Q1-2015 and Q4-2015. Monthly churn in the current quarter was higher at 0.8 per cent as compared to the 0.6 per cent in the corresponding year ago quarter, but lower than the one per cent in the immediate trailing quarter.
Airtel MD and CEO, India & South Asia Gopal Vittal said, “The year has begun on a healthy note, with underlying revenue growth accelerating to 12.7 per cent in India. Our customer base has continued to steadily expand. Mobile minutes and data traffic have grown by 7.4 per cent and 83.4 per cent respectively. I am pleased that our revenue growth is broad based across all business units, especially the domestic enterprise and corporate segment, which saw revenues grow by 18.1 per cent, and DTH business, which had an underlying topline growth of 26.8 per cent. Our capex programme is mostly directed at increasing 3G / 4G coverage and improving all-round customer experience.”
Overall, Airtel says that consolidated revenues for Q1-2016 at Rs 23,671 crore grew by 3.1 per cent over the corresponding quarter last year. Consolidated Mobile data revenues at Rs 3,459 crore, grew by 56.9 per cent y-o-y, uplifted by data traffic growth of 86.5 per cent. India revenues reported a growth of 10 per cent y-o-y, led by 22.2 per cent in Airtel business (B2B) and 15.8 per cent in Digital TV.
Adjusted for the impact in reduction of termination rates, India revenues grew on an underlying basis by 12.7 per cent and Mobile revenues by 12.2 per cent y-o-y. Mobile Data revenue at Rs 2,609 crore registered a growth of 67.3 per cent y-o-y in India, uplifted by increase in the Data customer base by 25.8 per cent and traffic by 83.4 per cent. Data ARPU has moved up by Rs 42 to Rs 181 in Q1-2016, led by 42.7 per cent increase in data usage per customer. Mobile Data revenues contribute to 19.2 per cent of Mobile India revenues vis-?-vis 12.4 per cent in the corresponding quarter last year.
Consolidated EBITDA in Q1-2016 at Rs 8262 crore grew by 6.4 per cent y-o-y with EBITDA margin expanding by 1.1 per cent to 34.9 per cent, driven by India’s margin expansion by 2.1 per cent y-o-y. Net Profit after tax (PAT) increased 40.2 per cent to Rs 1554.3 crore (6.6 per cent margin) in Q1-2016 as compared to the Rs 1108.5 crore (4.8 per cent margin) and was 23.8 per cent more than the Rs 1255.3 crore (5.4 per cent margin) in Q4-2015.
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.
