DTH
Demonetisation hits Dish TV numbers for Q3-17
BENGALURU: Indian direct to home (DTH) company Dish TV India Limited (Dish TV) has reported just 3.3 per cent increase in subscription revenue for the quarter ended 31 December 2016 (Q3-17, current quarter) as compared to the corresponding year ago quarter (quarter ended 31 December 2015, Q3-16). Total Income from operations (TIO) in the current quarter actually declined three per cent as compared to Q3-17.
Further, despite the sunset dates for DAS phases III and IV quickly approaching, the company could add just 220,000 subscribers (net additions) in the current quarter as compared t0 317,000 (net additions) in Q3-16. Dish TV says that it closed the current quarter with 1.53 crore net subscribers.
In its earnings release, Dish TV says that only 30 of its subscribers made payments by digital means until demonetisation day – 8 November 2016. CMD Jawahar Goel explained further, “Limited cash supply made people defer their DTH recharges by a few days or weeks depending on the urgency of other basic necessities. The impact was stronger in the second tier and below towns and cities as most of the economy in these areas runs on cash. Our subscription revenues during the quarter could have been higher by around 8 per cent in a non-adverse scenario. Lower growth eventually resulted in lower average revenues per user as well.”
The company says that the fiscal third quarter being the period of festivals is generally the largest contributor to new subscriber additions during the year. Demonetization however impacted Dish TV’s new subscriber additions also with the company recording an estimated 8-10 per cent lower subscriber adds during the quarter.
Goel said further, “Subscribers as well as trade partners were extended temporary credit facilities basis their past transactions pattern. Subscriber awareness drives to promote alternate methods of payment were run both on the ground and on screen in addition to various other initiatives. Looking at the brighter side of it, demonetization does promise an eventual less-cash dependent population that should use online payment interfaces over cash for DTH recharges. That’s going to be a boon for the DTH business.”
Goel is optimistic about the future. He said, “Though demonetization has led to an initial distress, it also will result in certain structural changes that are going to benefit the economy in the long run. As far as our business is concerned, the effect has already started coming in. As online payment transactions, credit cards and a less-cash society become buzz words today, we are happy to note an increase in our online transacting subscriber base from 30 percent to around 38 percent with around 22 digital wallets and the like being integrated with the company. Every online recharge transaction vis-à-vis EPRS based transaction implies savings on recharge commissions paid by us.”
Let us look at the numbers reported by Dish TV for Q3-17
As mentioned above, subscription revenue in the current quarter increased 3.3 percent to Rs 692.10 crore from Rs 669.90 crore. TIO declined 3 percent to Rs 747.98 crore from Rs 771.48 crore.
Profit after tax (PAT) declined to almost a third (declined 61.0 Percent) to Rs 26.68 crore (3.6 percent margin – of TIO) in Q3-17 from Rs 68.49 crore (8.9 percent margin) in Q3-16. EBIDTA in the current quarter declined 6 percent to Rs 249.51 crore (33.4 percent margin) from Rs 265.45 crore (34.4 percent margin).
Total Expenditure in Q3-17 increased 1.8 percent year-over-year (y-o-y) to Rs 664.04 crore from Rs 652.33 crore. Programming/content and other costs increased 6.2 percent y-o-y to Rs 220.10 crore in the current quarter from Rs 207.31 crore.
Employee Benefits Expense in the current quarter increased 25.2 percent to Rs 36.12 crore from Rs 28.85 crore. Other expenses in Q3-17 increased 9.7 percent y-o-y to Rs 118.09 crore from Rs 107.68 crore. Other operating costs declined 36.6 percent in the current quarter to Rs 66.82 crore from Rs 105.35 crore in the corresponding year ago quarter.
Finance costs in Q3-17 increased 8.3 percent to Rs 59.1 crore from Rs 54.46 crore in the corresponding year ago quarter.
Commenting on the results, Goel said, “We believe that the negative impact of demonetization is only temporary and that with a strong subscriber growth rate, tight control on costs, reasonably steady free cash flows and a healthy balance sheet we should deliver sustainable growth. The rollout of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), a hopefully favourable license fee regime and a revenue conscious cable industry should only add to the strengths of Dish TV going forward.”
Notes: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.
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DTH
Dish TV moves court seeking level playing field with DD Free Dish
DTH player flags unfair edge as free platform reshapes pay-TV market
MUMBAI: Dish TV has approached the Kerala High Court, seeking a level playing field with DD Free Dish, the free-to-air satellite platform run by Prasar Bharati.
At the heart of the dispute is what Dish TV calls a regulatory imbalance. The company has urged the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to bring DD Free Dish under the same rules as private direct-to-home operators, including mandatory encryption and compliance with the Digital Addressable System under existing laws such as the Indian Telegraph Act and the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act.
Private DTH platforms are required to encrypt their signals, meaning viewers need authorised set-top boxes and paid subscriptions. In contrast, DD Free Dish remains unencrypted, allowing access through basic equipment without monthly fees, a difference Dish TV argues creates a structural advantage.
In its petition, Dish TV has described the current framework as arbitrary and discriminatory, alleging it undermines constitutional guarantees of equality and the right to trade. The company pointed out that while private operators shoulder the cost of encryption infrastructure, licensing fees and regulatory levies, DD Free Dish operates without similar obligations despite scaling up significantly.
Originally launched to distribute Doordarshan channels, DD Free Dish has steadily morphed into a quasi-commercial platform. It now carries around 120 private channels and generates substantial revenue through slot auctions, with earnings rising sharply over the years, according to the petition.
The case also throws a spotlight on shifting dynamics within India’s television market. Pay DTH operators have been grappling with a shrinking subscriber base, which has fallen from nearly 70 million in 2021 to about 51 million in 2025. At the same time, DD Free Dish has expanded its reach to roughly 53 million households, buoyed by viewers in price-sensitive regions opting for free access over paid subscriptions.
The migration has been further fuelled by broadcasters placing popular channels on the free platform, making it an increasingly attractive alternative for households looking to cut costs.
The Kerala High Court has admitted the petition and scheduled the next hearing for June 2, 2026. It also noted that a recent notice by Prasar Bharati inviting regional channels to uplink on DD Free Dish without carriage fees until March 31, 2026 will remain subject to the final outcome of the case.
Regulators have already acknowledged the gap. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, in its July 2024 recommendations, proposed a shift towards an addressable system for DD Free Dish, though these suggestions are not binding. The government is yet to take a final call, mindful of the platform’s reach among millions of households.
The petition follows repeated representations from private players and bodies such as the All India Digital Cable Federation, all flagging the same concern: a fast-growing free platform competing in a paid market without the same rulebook.
As the courtroom battle unfolds, the outcome could redraw the contours of India’s pay-TV ecosystem, deciding whether the free ride continues or the rules of the game finally converge.
