DTH
Airtel Digital TV revenue, PAT and EBITDA up in Q3 2018
MUMBAI: Bharti Airtel’s DTH arm Airtel Digital TV has seen a 10.4 per cent revenue growth in the quarter ending 31 December 2017 (Q3-2018) compared with Q3 2017 (y-o-y). Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) grew by 22 per cent y-o-y in Q3 2018. Airtel DTH’s contribution to the overall Airtel revenue and EBITDA has stayed the same at 6 per cent.
Airtel Digital TV’s revenue for Q3 2018 saw revenue rise to Rs 964.2 core from Rs 936.9 crore in Q2 2018 and higher than the Rs 873.5 crore y-o-y. EBITDA rose to Rs 370.8 crore from Rs 351.7 crore in Q2 and Rs 302.6 crore y-o-y.
Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) saw a huge jump from Rs 123 crore in Q2 2018 to Rs 150 crore this quarter, a 22 per cent rise. This was 2.2 times than Rs 68.4 crore reported in the year ago quarter.
The DTH segment assets were Rs 2,659.1 crore, up from Rs 2,590.7 crore in the previous quarter and Rs 2,399.3 crore in Q3 2017. The segment’s liabilities increased to Rs 33,19.3 crore from Rs 3,279.8 crore in the previous quarter and Rs 3,030.8 in Q3 2017.
Airtel Digital TV’s capex during the quarter under review was Rs 236 crore, 11 per cent lower y-o-y from as against Rs 265 crore spent in the corresponding year ago quarter. Cumulative investments increased by 8 per cent y-o-y to Rs 7,799.3 crore from Rs 7,212.7
Subscribers grew by 3.1 per cent to 1.3937 crore, up from 1.3521 crore in the previous quarter and a 10.7 per cent increase y-o-y from 1.2588 crore. A total of 416,000 subscribers were added in the corresponding quarter. Average revenue per user (ARPU) remained flat at Rs 233 (just 0.4 per cent growth from the corresponding quarter a year ago). Monthly churn reported for Q3 2018 stood at 1.2 per cent (1.4 per cent reported in the previous quarter; 1.3 per cent in Q2 2017).
The DTH business saw no additions of districts this quarter and the number remained at 639 numbers.
Airtel’s overall revenue dropped by 12.9 per cent y-o-y to Rs 20,319 crore from Rs 23,336 crore. Its revenue dropped to Rs 15,294 crore, 11.3 per cent y-o-y and down from the Rs 16818.3 crore in the previous quarter. This was mainly due to mobile drop of 17.6 per cent. Mobile broadband customers increased by 64.9 per cent to 6.21 crore from 3.77 crore in the corresponding quarter last year. Mobile data traffic grew by more than 6 times to 110,600 crore MBs in the quarter as compared with 172,000 crore MBs in the corresponding quarter last year. Total India mobile subscribers increased by 2.9 per cent from the previous quarter to 29.0 crore, which is also 9.1 per cent growth y-o-y.
Airtel’s profit before tax stood at Rs 838.1 crore, lower than the Rs 1298.8 crore reported in the previous quarter. Net income also dropped to Rs 305.8 crore from Rs 343 crore.
Airtel India and South Asia MD and CEO Gopal Vittal said. “Regulatory fiat in the form of a cut in domestic IUC rates has exacerbated the industry ARPU decline in Q3 18. The recent announcement of reduction in international termination rates will further accentuate this decline and benefit foreign operators with no commensurate benefit to customers. Continued investments in data capacities, strategic partnerships with content and handset providers and focus on customer friendly innovations like data rollover has led to healthy customer additions of 0.81 crore during the quarter. Q3 2018 has also seen the highest ever broadband site deployment of 32K in any quarter, complementing the robust data and voice traffic growth of 544 per cent and 50 per cent respectively on a y-o-y basis. We are committed to remaining the operator of choice for all customers in this rapidly consolidating industry.”
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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.
