>Unlabelled > HD subscriber base to double; touch 2.5 lakh in FY'12: Dish TV

HD subscriber base to double; touch 2.5 lakh in FY'12: Dish TV

Posted on Monday, October 31, 2011 by today

PTI Oct 30, 2011, 11.18am IST

NEW DELHI: With more high definition (HD) channels being launched in the country, DTH major Dish TV is betting big on this platform and expects its HD subscriber base to double this fiscal to 2.5 lakh.

"When we launched last year, HD was just coming in. Now, the ground is set and we are seeing HD content coming in not just in sports but also general entertainment channels," Dish TV COO Salil Kapoor told media.

"This gives us confidence of being able to double our HD base in FY'12 from 1.25 lakh," he added.

HD offers higher resolution than SDTV (standard definition TV), providing a better viewing experience, with sharper picture quality and sound.

For the quarter ended September 30, 2011, Dish TV added 5.75 lakh new subscribers taking its subscriber base to 1.17 crore (gross).

"Even a year ago, there was not much content available. Along with that, factors like increasing sales of LCDs and LEDs which support HD give us the confident that takers for HD boxes will go up," he said.

Major sports and 'edutainment' channels like ESPN, StarCricket, National Geographic and Discovery already have HD feeds. Star India and ZEE Network have also joined the HD bandwagon with the launch of the HD version of their movie and general entertainment channels.

Another incentive for DTH firms to drive HD penetration in the country is the higher average revenue per user (ARPU) from HD set top boxes.

"Our ARPU from the normal set top boxes is about Rs 152, while that from HD is Rs 454. So, it is definitely an important part of the strategy," Kapoor said.

Dish TV registered a net loss of Rs 48.56 crore for the second quarter ended September 30, 2011, while its net loss during the same period last year was Rs 45.17 crore.

The loss widened primarily due to Rs 30 crore forex loss incurred on account of hardening of dollar, which resulted in higher import cost (of the set-top- boxes).

The company also saw an increased sales and distribution cost of Rs 18 crore as it pre-ordered a larger number of STBs ahead of the festive season.

For FY'12, the company has set a target of 30-35 lakh new subscriber addition.

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