DTH
Q2-2015: Airtel Digital TV y-o-y revenue grows 23 per cent, subscriber base up 11.3 per cent
BENGALURU: India headquartered communications giant Bharti Airtel Limited (Airtel)’s digital TV (DTH) segment reported a y-o-y growth in Q2-2015 (current quarter) in revenue of 23 per cent to Rs 626.3 crore as compared to the year ago revenue of Rs 507.2 crore. Q-o-q, the company reported a growth of 5.4 per cent from Rs 591.5 crore. For HY-2015, revenue at Rs 1217.8 crore was 22 per cent more than the Rs 997.2 crore in HY-2014.
Note: 100,00,000 = 100 lakh = 10 crore = 1 crore.
EBITDA for the quarter increased to Rs 152.9 crore as compared to Rs 64.6 crore in the corresponding quarter last year. EBITDA margin improved significantly to 24.4 per cent in the current quarter, as compared to a margin of 12.7 per cent in the corresponding quarter last year.
During the current quarter, the Company incurred a capital expenditure of Rs 225.5 crore. Cash burn during the quarter at Rs 72.6 crore has increased, compared to Rs 39.6 crore in the corresponding quarter last year, primarily on account of seasonal build-up of boxes says the company.
Subscription numbers:
The company reported a 1.6 per cent increase in subscriber base to 9.54 million in Q2-2015 from 9.388 million in Q1-2015 and 11.3 per cent more than the 8.572 million in Q2-2014.
Net subscriber additions for the quarter dipped 60 per cent to 151,000 from 376000 in Q1-2015, but was 11 per cent more than the 120,000 subscribers added in the corresponding year ago quarter Average revenue per quarter (arpu) in Q2-2015 was 3 per cent more at Rs 220 from Rs 214 in Q1-2015 and 11 per cent more than Rs 198 in Q2-2014. Monthly churn in Q2-2015 was higher than the 0.6 per cent in Q1-2015 and 1 per cent in Q2-2014.
Bharti Airtel’s consolidated highlights for the second quarter ended September 30, 2014
Customer base crossed mark of 30 crore and stands at 30.37 crore across 20 countries, up 8.4 per cent y-o-y.
Consolidated total revenues at Rs 22,845 crore, up by 7.1 per cent y-o-y.
India revenues up 12.3 per cent; Africa revenues (in local currency) up 6.4 per cent y-o-y.
Consolidated Mobile Data revenue at Rs 2,540 crore, up by 66.7 per cent y-o-y; growth across geographies.
Consolidated EBITDA at Rs 7,705 crore, up by 12.1 per cent Y-o-y, EBITDA margin up 1.5 per cent y-o-y.
India EBITDA margin at 38.3 per cent, up by 3.2 per cent y-o-y.
Net Income at Rs 1,383 crore, up by 170.2 per cent y-o-y.
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.
