DTH
Dish TV adds 42K subscribers in Q2 2020
BENGALURU: India DTH major Dish TV India Ltd (Dish TV) reported 42,000 net subscriber additions for the quarter ended 30 September 2019 (Q2 2020, quarter or period under review), During the six-month period ended 30 September 2020 (H1 2020), the company says that it added 251,000 net subscribers. The company reported subscription revenue of Rs 79.2 crore for the quarter under review.
With programming cost becoming a pass-through item in the New Tariff Regime, subscription and operating revenues for the quarter are not comparable with the corresponding period last year.
Dish TV’s operating revenue in Q2 2020 declined 44 percent to Rs 893.18 crore from Rs 1,594.29 crore. The company reported a net loss of Rs 96.37 crore for Q2 2020 as compared to a profit of Rs 19.73 crore in the corresponding year ago quarter. EBITDA for Q2 2020 was Rs 540.46 crore, which was 3.7 percent lower than the Rs 540.62 crore in Q2 2019.
Company Speak
The company claims in a media release, that the seasonally weak second quarter came bundled with other external challenges this time. Slowing subscriber additions due to a not so robust macro-economic environment, price undercutting by peers, along with heavy rains and flooding in many parts of the country made subscriber acquisitions and retention a challenging task. Dish TV India however chose to be resilient making the best
of every opportunity coming its way.
“Setting aside the price undercutting resorted to by some peers in parts of the country, Dish TV India maintained a fine balance between subscriber acquisition and the cost of such acquisition. The company intentionally avoided adding extremely value conscious subscribers,” said Dish TV group CEO Anil Dua.
Dish TV CMD Jawahar Goel said, “It is evident that even in the New Regime, there has been a propensity to push low rated channels into bouquets with the objective of increasing the viewership of high rated channels. If the Regulation gets implemented in entirety, there would be better pricing that would ensure wider consumption of channels. Content would be subject to subscriber’s filtration and as a distributor we would only be procuring popular content that sells.”
Let us look at the other numbers reported by Dish TV
Total Income for Q2 2020 declined 44.3 percent y-o-y to Rs 896.77 crore from Rs 1,609.96 crore. Total Expenditure for the period under review declined 44.3 percent y-o-y to Rs 879.67 crore from Rs 1,580.35 crore.
Operating expenses in Q2 2020 declined 77.6 percent y-o-y to Rs 193.48 crore from Rs 864.77 crore. Employee benefits expenses in Q2 2020 declined 29.7 percent y-o-y to Rs 44.03 crore from Rs 62.62 crore. Other expenses in Q2 2020 increased 8.7 percent y-o-y to Rs 134.65 crore from Rs 123.83 crore.
DTH
Dish TV launches ‘Kuch chhota sa’ campaign for TV flexibilit
New campaign highlights 190+ channels, Always-On service, Rs 99 Freedom Pack.
MUMBAI- Sometimes, the smallest remote click can fix the biggest daily friction and Dish TV is betting on exactly that insight. The company has rolled out a new campaign built around the thought ‘Kuch chhota sa karne par, life hogi behtar’, turning everyday viewing annoyances into a case for simpler, more reliable television access.
The campaign taps into a familiar household reality: millions of viewers continue to rely on free-to-air channels but increasingly want the flexibility of premium content, often ending up with a patchy and inconsistent viewing experience. Dish TV positions itself as the middle path—a structured yet flexible alternative that promises continuity without complexity. At its core is the pitch of an “Always-On” service, designed to keep content accessible even when recharge timelines slip, effectively reducing one of the most common friction points in DTH consumption.
To strengthen this proposition, the platform is offering access to over 190 channels, alongside a flexible pricing hook through its Freedom Pack, starting at Rs 99. The pack is positioned as a seasonal companion particularly relevant during high-engagement periods such as cricket tournaments, school holidays and festive windows, when content consumption spikes but users may not want long-term commitments.
Conceptualised by Enormous, the campaign unfolds through two master films and three short edits rooted in slice-of-life storytelling. From a husband quietly navigating around his sleeping wife to siblings striking a compromise over a coveted window seat, the narratives lean into humour and relatability rather than heavy messaging. The underlying idea remains consistent: small adjustments can meaningfully improve everyday experiences.
The rollout spans a full 360-degree media mix, including television, digital platforms, on-ground activations, point-of-sale visibility, Google Display Network placements and influencer-led content, signalling a push for both scale and contextual engagement.
As viewing habits continue to evolve in a hybrid ecosystem of free and paid content, Dish TV’s latest play reflects a broader industry shift where reliability and flexibility are increasingly positioned as differentiators, not just add-ons. In a market crowded with choice, the brand’s wager is simple: sometimes, it’s the smallest tweak that keeps audiences tuned in.
