DTH
Airtel Digital TV revenue and profit up as Bharti Airtel reports record loss
BENGALURU: Indian telecom major Bharti Airtel reported 17 percent y-o-y increase in revenue for its Digital TV Services for the quarter ended 30 September 2019 (Q2 2020, quarter or period under review) as compared to the corresponding year-ago quarter Q2 2019. The company says that with the adoption of IndAS 116, effective 1 April 2019, the results and ratios of periods commencing 1 April 2019 are not comparable with previous periods.
Further, pursuant to reporting changes in DTH effective April 1, 2019 (content cost becoming a Pass through expense) on comparable basis, the y-o-y revenue growth for the period ended 30 Sep 2019 is 17 percent (Quarter ended) and 16 percent (six months ended). EBITDA/ Total revenues is 43.3 percent for the quarter ended 30 Sep 2019 and 42.8 percent for the six months ended 30 Sep 2019 adjusting for the reporting changes.
Without taking into accounting the adoption of IndAS 116, Airtel’s Digital Services revenue declined 22.9 percent y-o-y to Rs 789.3 crore in Q2 2020 from Rs 1,024.2 crore. Operating profit or EBIDTA for Airtel’s Digital TV Services increased 41.6 percent y-o-y in Q2 2020 to Rs 560.7 crore from Rs 396 crore. EBIT for the period under review increased 70 percent y-o-y to Rs 3,243 crore from Rs 1,905 crore.
The company reported 14.2 percent increase in capex for Q2 2020 at Rs 205.2 crore as compared to Rs 179.7 crore in Q2 2019.
Digital TV Services subscription numbers
Airtel Digital TV Services subscribers increased 9.7 percent y-o-y in Q2 2020 to 1.62 crore from 1.48 crore in Q2 2019. Airtel Digital TV Services had 1.6 crore subscribers in the immediate trailing quarter Q1 2018. The company reported net additions of 181,000 Digital TV subscribers in Q2 2020. Average revenue per user (ARPU) in Q2 2020 increased to Rs 162 from Rs 157 in the immediate trailing quarter, but was far lower than the Rs 232 in Q2 2019. In US$ terms, the company reported ARPU of $2.3, $2.2 and $3.3 for Q2 2020, Q1 2020 and Q2 2019 respectively. Monthly churn in Q2 2020 was higher at 1.6 percent as compared to 1.0 percent in the immediate trailing quarter Q1 2020 and 1.3 percent in the corresponding year ago quarter.
Bharti Airtel Numbers
Bharti Airtel consolidated revenues for Q2 2020 at Rs 21,131 crore grew 6.9 percent y-o-y (reported increase of 4.9Percent) on an underlying basis. India revenues for Q2 2020 at Rs 15,361 crore increased by 5.7 y-o-y (reported increase of 3.0percent) on an underlying basis. Mobile revenues witnessed a y-o-y growth of 7.1 percent. Mobile data traffic has nearly doubled to 4,497 PBs in the quarter as compared to 2,478 PBs in the corresponding quarter last year. Mobile 4G data customers increased by 56.9 percent to 10.31 crore from 6.57 crore in the corresponding quarter last year. Digital TV revenue witnessed a growth of 17.1 percent y-o-y on an underlying basis (decline of 22.9 percent on reported basis due to reporting changes in DTH pursuant to the new tariff order). Airtel Business has sustained its performance on ay-o-y basis.
Bharti Airtel’s consolidated EBITDA at Rs 8,936 crore increased 40.9 percent y-o-y. Consolidated EBITDA margin increased by 10.8 percent to 42.3 percent in the quarter as compared to 31.5 percent in the corresponding quarter last year. Consolidated EBIT increased by 85.2 percent y-o-y to Rs 1,993 crore. Consolidated Net Loss before exceptional items for the quarter was Rs 1,123 crore. The consolidated net loss after exceptional items for the quarter was Rs 23,045 crore.
Company Speak
Bharti Airtel MD and CEO Gopal Vittal said in a press release, “Despite being a seasonally weak quarter, we witnessed positive revenue growth in Q2 on the back of various initiatives aimed at providing superior differential services through our Thanks platform. We continue to witness strong data traffic growth of approximately 81 percent y-o-y and added about 0.8 crore 4G customers on our network during the quarter. We remain committed to strengthening our network and providing a superior experience to our customers. On the AGR verdict of the Hon’ble Supreme Court, we continue to engage with the government and are evaluating various options available to us. We are hopeful that the government will take a considerate view in this matte given the fragile state of the industry.”
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.
