DTH
Videocon d2h reports another profitable quarter
BENGALURU: Saurabh-Dhoot led Indian DTH player Videocon d2h reported profit after tax (PAT) of Rs 168 million for the quarter ended 30 September 2017 (Q2 FY 2017-18). The company had reported PAT of Rs 12 million for the immediate trailing quarter (Q1 FY 2017-18) and PAT of Rs 148 million for the corresponding year ago quarter (Q2 FY 2016-17). Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBIDTA) increased by 6.9 percent year-on-year (y-o-y) during the quarter under review to Rs 2,805 million from Rs 2,625 million. Adjusted EBIDTA less capital expenditure increased by 29.4 percent y-o-y to Rs 1,174 million as compared with Rs 907 million.
Videocon d2h revenue from operations increased by 7.5 percent y-o-y during the quarter to Rs 8,346 million from Rs 7,762 million. Subscription and activation revenue increased by 8.4 percent y-o-y to Rs 7,701 million from Rs 7,107 million.
Subscriber matrices
The company’s subscriber base increased by 0.21 million during Q2 FY 2017-18 to 13.25 million from 13.04 million in the immediate trailing quarter. The company had a subscriber base of 12.52 million in Q2 FY 2016-17. Videocon d2h reported a quarterly subscriber churn of 0.62 percent, which was less than half the churn of 1.27 percent reported for Q1 FY 2017-18. Subscriber churn for Q2 FY 2016-17 was 0.95 percent. The company has reported higher average revenue per user (ARPU) of Rs 212 for the quarter under review as against Rs 198 for the immediate trailing quarter and Rs 209 for the corresponding year ago quarter.
A look at the other numbers
Total expenses rose by 7.5 percent y-o-y to Rs 7,357 million in Q2 FY 2017-18 from Rs 6,843 million Operating expenses increased by 8.4 percent y-o-y to Rs 4,391 million from Rs 4,052 million. Administration and other expenses jumped up by 50.8 percent y-o-y to Rs 276 million from Rs 183 million. Employee benefits expenses declined by 23.8 percent y-o-y to Rs 240 million from Rs 315 million. Selling and distribution expenses increased by 4.3 percent y-o-y to Rs 633 million from Rs 607 million.
Company speak
Videocon d2h executive chairman Dhoot said, “I am delighted to report that we have delivered a strong quarter and have reported the highest ever quarterly adjusted EBITDA in the history of Videocon d2h at INR 2.81 billion. More importantly, adjusted EBITDA per subscriber grew by double digits from the last quarter and came in at INR 71 per subscriber per month, supported by better revenue realisations and higher operational efficiencies.”
He added, “We remain optimistic on the future outlook of the company as we merge with Dish TV India Ltd in the coming weeks, subject to receipt of approval from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The businesses of Videocon d2h and Dish TV India will be amalgamated for financial reporting purposes from October 1, 2017, the date appointed by the Honorable National Company Law Tribunal. We believe that the merged entity would be one of the largest pay TV platforms in the world in terms of subscriber base, according to company estimates. We are excited about the growth prospects of the merged entity given its large scale, solid business fundamentals, and a healthy balance sheet.”
DTH
DD Free Dish e-auction heats up with 26 MPEG-2 slots sold in two days
Hindi movies, GEC and news dominate; Star Utsav Movies tops Day 2 at Rs 213.45 crore
MUMBAI- The bidding war on DD Free Dish is turning into a blockbuster and the slots are selling faster than popcorn at interval. Prasar Bharati’s 8th annual MPEG-2 e-auction delivered another strong day on Tuesday, with 18 more channels securing spots across movies, regional music and news buckets, taking the two-day total to 26.
Day 2 belonged to the movies and news categories. In Bucket A (Hindi Movies), Star Utsav Movies led the pack at Rs 213.45 crore, pipped only narrowly by Zee Action at Rs 213.4 crore. Goldmines landed at Rs 13.35 crore and Zee Anmol at Rs 13.3 crore, showing razor-thin price bands and fierce competition. Bucket B saw Zee Bioscope top at Rs 10.6 crore, Bhojpuri Cinema Rs 10.5 crore, B4U Bhojpuri Rs 10.2 crore, while Showbox, Unique TV and B4U Music each closed at Rs 10.25 crore.
News channels in Bucket C stayed tightly bunched: NDTV, Aaj Bharat, Zee News and India TV all secured slots at Rs 8.6 crore, with News Nation and ABP News slightly higher at Rs 8.65 crore. Bucket D rounded out with Russia Today at Rs 9.75 crore and GTC Punjabi at Rs 7.92 crore.
Day 1 had already set a premium tone, with eight slots snapped up – six in Bucket A+ (Hindi/Urdu GEC, starting reserve Rs 15 crore) and two in Bucket A (Hindi/Urdu Movies, starting Rs 12 crore). Sony PAL topped Day 1 winners at Rs 16.55 crore, Star Utsav Rs 16.25 crore, Shemaroo TV Rs 16.35 crore, Zee Anmol, Colors Rishtey and Sun Neo at Rs 16.40 crore each. Sony WAH took a Bucket A slot at Rs 13.95 crore and Zee Anmol Cinema at Rs 13.45 crore.
The surge reflects broadcasters’ hunger for DD Free Dish’s estimated 43–45 million rural and semi-urban households, where Hindi GEC and movies remain advertising goldmines.
The auction runs under the revised E-auction Methodology 2025 (amended 9 January 2026), with escalating reserves – Round 2 Bucket A+ at Rs 16 crore, Round 3 Bucket A at Rs 13 crore – and stricter eligibility to weed out speculative bids. Channels must be operational, available in the relevant language, and already carried on at least one private DTH, DD Free Dish or registered MSO.
With premium genres flying off the shelf, the coming rounds will test how deep pockets really are as reserves climb and tactical down-bidding gets harder. In India’s largest free-to-air universe, these auctions aren’t just about slots – they’re about who gets to stay on the screen that reaches deepest into the heartland.
