DTH
Dish TV repeats profits in Q3 2018 post merger
BENGALURU: Indian direct to home (DTH) behemoth Dish TV India Ltd (Dish TV) reported profit after tax (PAT) of Rs 152.69 crore for the quarter ended 31 December 2018 (Q3 2019, quarter under review) as compared to loss of Rs 168.29 crore in the corresponding year ago quarter and a profit of Rs 19.73 crore in the immediate trailing quarter Q2 2109. These PAT numbers were boosted by certain income tax adjustments of prior years. Dish TV and Videocon d2h were merged on March 22 2018 and hence Q1 2019 was the first full reporting quarter for the merged entity.
Dish TV’s operating profit or EBITDA in Q3 2019 was Rs 517.59 crore, 4.3 percent lower than Rs 540.62 crore in Q2 2019. The company reported a 4.8 percent q-o-q decline in operating revenue for the quarter under review at Rs 1,517.45 crore as compared to Rs 1,594.3 crore in Q2 2019.
Dish TV’s subscriber additions picked up speed during the first quarter of fiscal 2019. The net number of 3,01,000 additions took Dish TV’s subscriber base to 2.33 crore in Q1 2019. The company picked up another net 2,00,000 subscribers in Q2 2019 to ramp up its subs base to 2.35 crore. For Q3 2019, the company reported net subscriber additions of 1,42,000 and the company closed the quarter under review with a subscriber base of 2.36 crore.
Revenue breakup
Subscription revenue declined 2.1 percent q-o-q in Q3 2018 to Rs 141.26 crore as compared to Rs 1,453.6 crore in Q3 2018. Advertisement revenue for the quarter under review increased 26.2 percent y-o-y to Rs 30 crore from Rs 23.8 crore. Bandwidth charges (revenue) reduced 24.4 percent y-o-y to Rs 32.4 crore in Q3 2019 from Rs 42.8 crore. Other income declined 59.4 percent y-o-y in Q3 2019 to Rs 4.25 crore from Rs 10.47 crore.
Company speak
Dish TV CMD Jawahar Goel said, “I am glad that all opposition to the tariff order has now finally been put to rest. We continue to strongly believe that the Regulation should minimise discriminatory pricing by ensuring a level playing field between cable and DTH platforms and should be beneficial for the entire industry thus leading to higher earnings going forward.”
Goel, said further, “The Interim Budget 2019 gave an approximate Rs 230 billion spending stimulus to the consumption class comprising of small business owners, salaried employees and the middle class by way of tax exemptions. In addition, increased disposable income in the hands of farmers by way of PM Kissan Samman Nidhi scheme introduced in the budget should be a great boon for consumer sector companies like Dish TV. Further, the 150 thousand homes built under the PM Affordable Housing Scheme and every new house proposed to be built thereunder should be a potential pay-TV customer in the near future.”
Talking about the current technological buzz, Dish TV group CEO Anil Dua said, “The Interconnection Regulations and Tariff Order, as notified by TRAI, will lay down new norms for the television industry ushering in an era of growth, transparency and non-discrimination."
Let us look at the other numbers reported by Dish TV
The merged Dish TV’s consolidated total expenditure reduced 8 percent y-o-y in Q3 2019 to Rs 1,483.13 crore from Rs 1,612.36 crore. Operating Expense in Q3 2019 reduced 4.2 percent y-o-y to Rs 812.05 crore from Rs 847.74 crore. Employee benefit expense during the quarter under review reduced 10.3 percent y-o-y to Rs 60.37 crore from Rs 67.3 crore in Q3 2018. Other expenses in Q3 2019 reduced 37.2 percent y-o-y to Rs 124.99 crore from Rs 198.92 crore .
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.
