DTH
Airtel Digital TV numbers up
BENGALURU: Indian telecom player Bharti Airtel Ltd (Airtel) reported 9.5 per cent and 10.7 per cent growth in operating revenue for its Airtel Digital TV Services (Airtel DTH) for the year and quarter ended 31 March 2018 (FY 2017-18; Q4 2017-18), respectively, as compared with the corresponding year ago periods. Airtel DTH’s operating revenue in FY 2017-18 was Rs 3,757 crore while in FY 2016-17 it was Rs 3,430.6 crore. Operating revenue in Q4 2017-18 was Rs 958.5 crore and in Q4 2016-17 it was Rs 865.7 crore.
The company reported improved EBIDTA for both FY 2017-18 and Q4 2017-18. EBIDTA in FY 2017-18 increased by 16.4 per cent to Rs 1,422.6 crore (37.9 per cent of operating revenue) from Rs 1,221.9 crore (35.6 per cent of operating revenue). EBIDTA for the quarter rose by 17.4 per cent to Rs 370.1 crore (38.6 per cent of operating revenue) from Rs 315.3 crore (36.4 per cent of operating revenue) in the previous year.
The company has increased its capital expenditure (capex) in FY 2017-18 as compared with the previous year. Total capex increased by 19.4 per cent to Rs 1,027.7 crore from Rs 860.8 crore in the previous year. Cumulative investment in FY 2017-18 was Rs 8,005.7 crore as compared with Rs 7,351.3 crore in FY 2016-17. Capex in Q4 2017-18 increased 48.9 per cent to Rs 206.4 crore as against Rs 138.6 crore in Q4 2016-17.
Subscriber details
Airtel reported 14.168 million Airtel DTH subscribers at the end of FY 2017-18. Quarter-on-quarter, its subscribers increased by 0.23 million. The company had reported 12.815 million subscribers at end of Q4 2016-17. Average revenue per user or ARPU for the quarter was Rs 228, the same as in Q4 2016-17, but declined from Rs 233 in the immediate trailing quarter. Monthly churn in Q4 2017-18 was lower at 1.1 per cent as compared with 1.2 per cent in Q4 2016-17 and Q3 2017-18.
Airtel numbers
Airtel’s annual consolidated revenue for FY 2017-18 at Rs 83,688 crore declined by 9.8 per cent over the previous year (reported drop of 12.3 per cent) on an underlying basis, led by decline of 11.7 per cent in India. Consolidated EBITDA at Rs 30,448 crore reflects an EBITDA margin of 36.4 per cent as compared with 37.3 per cent in previous year.
Airtel’s consolidated revenue for Q4 2017-18 at Rs 19,634 crore declined by 5.4 per cent year-over-year (yoy) (reported drop of 10.5 per cent) on an underlying basis. India revenue for the quarter was Rs 14,796 crore shrunk by 7.5 per cent yoy (13.1 per cent on reported) on an underlying basis. Yoy decline was primarily caused by mobile drop of 13.5 per cent says the company. Consolidated EBITDA at Rs 7,034 crore declined 12.0 per cent yoy. Consolidated EBITDA margin decreased by 0.6 per cent to 35.8 per cent in the quarter as against 36.4 per cent.
Airtel India and South Asia MD and CEO Gopal Vittal said, “The telecom industry continues to witness below cost, artificially suppressed pricing. Industry revenues were further adversely impacted this quarter due to the reduction in international termination rates. Our strategic investments in data capacities, innovative digital content through Airtel TV, customer friendly bundles and upgrade programs led to the highest-ever mobile data customer additions of 15 million during the quarter. Usage parameters remained robust on a yoy basis; we saw data and voice traffic grow 584 per cent and 55 per cent respectively. In line with our goal of building market-leading 4G networks, with best-in-class speeds and capacity; while supporting the digital India initiative, we have ended the financial year with our highest ever capital expenditure of Rs 240 billion. We intend to continue the rollout momentum next year as well.”
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DTH
Free Dish serves fresh slots as Prasar Bharati rings in e Auction 97
MPEG 4 slots for 2026–27 open with bids from March 16 and applications due March 9.
MUMBAI- When the Free Dish menu changes, broadcasters sharpen their forks. Prasar Bharati has formally opened applications for vacant MPEG-4 slots on its DD Free Dish direct to home platform, setting the stage for the 97th e-auction, scheduled to begin on March 16, 2026. The allotment will cover the broadcast period from April 1, 2026, to March 31, 2027, continuing the public broadcaster’s annual auction cycle.
The notice, issued on February 9, 2026, lays out a familiar but finely sliced structure, with channels grouped into genre and language based “buckets”, each carrying its own reserve price and bidding dynamics. The aim is simple: widen content choice on DD Free Dish while keeping the playing field regulated and competitive.
At the premium end of the table, HD channels (Bucket H) will open with a reserve price of Rs 80 lakh, with bid increments of Rs 1 lakh.
Regional language channels are split across multiple rounds. Bucket R1, covering South Indian languages, and Bucket R2, which includes Marathi, Gujarati and Bengali, will both start at Rs 5 lakh in round one, moving up to Rs 15 lakh in the second round.
News and current affairs channels under Bucket G1 will begin at Rs 30 lakh, escalating to Rs 50 lakh in the next round, while the General Open round (GO) meant to mop up unfilled slots across categories carries a reserve price of Rs 70 lakh.
Eligibility remains tightly controlled. Participation is limited to satellite television channels licensed by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, with international public broadcasters holding valid MIB licences also allowed to bid. Prasar Bharati has also reiterated strict content compliance norms, making genre and language declarations more than just paperwork.
To qualify as “predominant”, at least 75 percent of non advertising content must align with the declared genre and language. In overall terms, this means such content cannot fall below 60 percent of a channel’s total monthly telecast. Complaints will trigger a review by a designated committee, and persistent violations could result in the channel being taken off the platform.
Applications must be submitted online via the Prasar Bharati portal by 9 March, 2026, at 15:00 hours. Broadcasters will need to pay a non refundable processing fee of Rs 25,000 and a participation fee of Rs 3 lakh, along with submitting mandatory documents such as MIB permissions, channel logos and proof of carriage on other DTH or MSO platforms.
Successful bidders will be required to stick to a strict payment calendar. Delays will attract interest at 14.5 percent per annum, and repeated defaults could lead to forfeiture of the participation fee and removal from DD Free Dish.
As India’s only free to air DTH platform with massive reach, DD Free Dish continues to be a crucial gateway, especially in regional markets. With e-Auction 97, Prasar Bharati is once again reshuffling the platter and the industry is watching closely to see who gets served next.
