DTH
Dish TV shoots off letter to IBF; alleges discrimination by b’casters, OTT platforms
NEW DELHI: In a move that’s certain to set the cat amongst the pigeons, Dish TV, one of India’s biggest satellite platform in terms of subscribers, has not only accused broadcasters of “discrimination” relating to making available content to various pay distribution platforms vis-à-vis likes of OTT, but also “creating huge disparity” in the market.
“Broadcasters, on one hand, keep on charging huge subscription fee from us and, on the other hand, provide the same content/channel to the OTT platforms at highly subsidized rates, thereby not only creating a non-level field, but also causing huge detriment to the subscribers of Dish TV. Availability of same content/channel on alternate distribution platform on much cheaper rate vis-a-vis DTH has started resulting into migration to the alternate distribution platforms,” Dish TV has said in a letter to the Indian Broadcasting Foundation, an apex body of TV channels or broadcasting companies operating in India.
The Dish TV letter dated 11 August 2017, reviewed by Indiantelevision.com, goes on to highlight why the move of TV channels to turn FTA, join Doordarshan’s free-to-air DTH platform DD FreeDish after paying a carriage fee, and making available content at highly subsided rates to OTT platforms like YouTube and that being proposed by Reliance Jio slides the Indian television market’s business model to be largely advertising driven.
“It is a common industry knowledge that the broadcasters have provided their channels to the OTT platforms at a highly discounted rates, which is totally prejudicial and discriminatory to the DTH platforms,” the Dish TV letter stated, which has also been sent to the DTH Association of India and the All India Digital Cable Federation, a body of digitally-able MSOs.
The letter from Dish TV, written by the satellite platform’s managing director Jawahar Goel, is addressed to IBF president Punit Goenka, who also is Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited MD and CEO, and a nephew of Goel. Goenka’s father and media baron Subhash Chandra is a member of India’s Upper House or Rajya Sabha.
According to people familiar with the development, IBF’s member-companies have been asked to give their feedback on the content of the letter, which could be put to vote some time mid-September.
“The IBF constitutes of seven major members, viz. Star, Zee, Sony, IndiaCast, Sun (TV group), Discovery and Times, which not only control the IBF but also are the major players collecting the subscription and advertisement revenue— collecting more than 99 per cent of the subscription and advertisement revenue of the Indian broadcasting industry,” the letter stated, adding that actions of the broadcasters “clearly indicate” the focus was shifting towards increasing the advertising revenue against subscription revenue.
Raising the issue of sector regulator TRAI and disputes tribunal TDSAT’s emphasis on “fairness, reasonability and non-discrimination” as far as making available content to distribution platforms, Dish TV pointed out that strategies employed by broadcasters were “deterrent to the pay TV market.”
Pointing out that certain actions of the broadcasters could amount to breach of cross-media restrictions too, the letter exhorted the IBF members to discuss “whether the emphasis has to be on pay model (where the broadcasters can collect subscription) or an FTA model (where the broadcasters can get the advertisement revenue)”.
Till the time of writing this report, Indiantelevision.com could not get across to IBF for a reaction.
“Availability of same content/channel on alternate distribution platform on much cheaper rate vis-a-vis DTH rate has started resulting in(to) migration to the alternate distribution platforms,” the letter highlighted, adding that big broadcasters’ own OTT platforms (like Star’s Hotstar, Viacom18’s Voot, Sony Pictures Entertainment’s SonyLIV and Zee’s dittoTV, for example) also contributed to compounding the problem.
The letter added: “It will be critical for your (IBF) members to spell out the strategy to hold/grow the pay TV market, which has been contributing to around 35-40 per cent of the total revenue of the pay broadcasters.”
However, it seems that the present slew of letters from Dish TV and accusations will again rock the approximately Rs 558 billion Indian media and entertainment industry, which had thought corporate skirmishes of mid 1990s to mid 2000s had been buried in favour of overall growth of the broadcast and cable sectors and the media and entertainment industry, in general.
Jawahar Goel raises alarm of emerging Star cricket monopoly
DTH
GTPL Hathway posts FY26 revenue growth, Q4 slips into loss
Annual profit at Rs 5.88 crore; Q4 loss at Rs 5.90 crore
MUMBAI: A strong year met a shaky finish as GTPL Hathway closed FY26 on a high note only to stumble at the final hurdle. The company’s latest financials reveal a tale of two timelines: steady annual growth alongside a fourth-quarter dip that nudged it into the red. GTPL Hathway Limited reported total income of Rs 2,472.46 crore for the year ended March 31, 2026, marking a clear rise from Rs 2,223.00 crore in FY25. Revenue from operations stood at Rs 2,450.78 crore, up from Rs 2,193.38 crore a year ago, signalling consistent traction in its core cable TV and broadband business.
Yet, beneath the annual growth narrative, the March quarter told a different story. The company posted a net loss of Rs 5.90 crore in Q4 FY26, a sharp reversal from a profit of Rs 0.91 crore in the preceding quarter and Rs 8.15 crore in the same period last year. Total income for the quarter came in at Rs 618.46 crore, largely flat sequentially but higher than Rs 569.33 crore reported a year earlier.
The pressure was visible across the cost structure. Total expenses for the quarter rose to Rs 620.64 crore, marginally exceeding income and tipping the company into a loss before tax of Rs 7.87 crore. This compares with a profit before tax of Rs 1.22 crore in the December quarter and Rs 11.32 crore in Q4 FY25.
For the full year, however, profitability held firm. GTPL reported a net profit of Rs 5.88 crore in FY26, significantly lower than Rs 47.80 crore in FY25, but still in positive territory despite higher finance costs and operating expenses. Operating expenses alone climbed to Rs 1,884.53 crore for the year, up from Rs 1,603.53 crore, reflecting the increasing cost of running and scaling network infrastructure.
Finance costs also rose notably to Rs 33.57 crore in FY26 from Rs 22.19 crore in FY25, while depreciation and amortisation expenses stood at Rs 189.19 crore, underlining continued investments in assets and technology. Employee benefit expenses, however, declined to Rs 63.42 crore from Rs 77.08 crore, offering some relief on the cost front.
An exceptional item of Rs 5.69 crore during the year also weighed on profitability, compared with Rs 3.79 crore in the previous year. Meanwhile, tax adjustments, including deferred tax movements and prior-year adjustments, played a role in shaping the final earnings outcome.
Despite the quarterly wobble, the broader picture suggests a company still expanding its top line while grappling with margin pressures. With paid-up equity share capital unchanged at Rs 112.46 crore, the focus now shifts to whether GTPL can convert its revenue momentum into more stable, sustainable profitability in the coming quarters.
In short, FY26 may have delivered growth on paper but the closing chapter serves as a reminder that in business, as in broadband, consistency is everything.
