Videocon d2h adds 71 channels in regional languages this year

MUMBAI: Videocon d2h is widening its TV channel portfolio. The direct-to-home (DTH) arm of Videocon Group has added two news channels, JK 24×7 and Gulistan News, for its subscribers in Jammu & Kashmir. In fact, Videocon d2h has added 71 new channels in regional languages this calendar year.

Said Videocon d2h executive chairman Saurabh Dhoot, “We at Videocon d2h have always kept ahead of what our consumers require. Whether it is innovating in our set-top boxes or by continuously adding the best channels or in service, we have always led from the front. Content has been a key driver of our leadership; this calendar year, we have already added 71 new channels in regional languages. With JK 24X7 News and Gulistan, our subscribers will have even more choice to stay informed with the latest news.

” While JK 24×7 is a Hindi news channel, Gulistan News is an Urdu channel. The 24-hour news channels will deliver the day’s top stories, both national and international.

 The two channels will be available on promotional Hindi Top-up for flexi pack on channel No 335 and 790 respectively.

 With the fourth phase of digital addressable system (DAS) nearing closure, there is a growing demand for state specific and regional-language channels.

Said Videocon d2h CEO Anil Khera, “As DAS Phase IV nears an end, we are seeing a significant appeal of state specific and regional language channels. Adding two channels specifically for J&K underlines our commitment to provide holistic family entertainment to the state.

” Videocon d2h has a line-up of 570+ channels and services, including a host of regional channels. It offers a wide range of active services like smart services including Smart English, Smart Games. The other active services include d2h Hollywood HD, d2h music, d2h spice, d2h cinema in both standard definition and HD

Resource:http://www.televisionpost.com/dth/videocon-d2h-adds-71-channels-in-regional-languages-this-year/

Tariff regulation in DTH industry via a-la-carte packs won’t help much, cable operators say

PUNE: The move to regulate tariff in the direct-to-home entertainment industry won't help much in bringing down cost for the customer, according to the leader of one of the direct-to-home operators. He did not want to be named because the matter is yet to be decided and he is one of the petitioners against the move

The telecom regulatory authority of India has said that direct-to-home operators and cable service providers must make channels available on a a-la-carte basis to the customers and not force them with unrequired channels in packages. "It is a hassle to unbundle channels...the cost will remain the same for the customer," he said, adding, "If each channel is priced at the proposed pricing of Rs 19 per channel, a bundle of 20 channels will be Rs 380 per month. In the same money, a customer is given more channels. So why change that?

He further added that though DTH operators are offering channels on an a-la-carte basis for the last 5 years, people have not subscribed to it in a big way. Also, it is difficult to map cable service providers as most of their services are still un-accounted for, even if digital. "In DTH case, you can at least give us a call. What will you do with cable operators," he said.

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Resource : Resource :https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2457861156656369908#editor/target=post;postID=8680072871825523901

Harmonic HEVC System Put to Use by Almatel Kazakhstan

SAN JOSE, CALIF.—Harmonic is assisting Kazakhstan’s largest cable operator, Almatel Kazakhstan, with the latest generation of HEVC video compression technology for the operator’s new direct-to-home (DTH) satellite television platform.   

Using Harmonic’s Electra X advanced media processing platform helps deliver SD, HD and UHD channels across Kazakhstan, increasing bandwidth efficiency by leveraging HEVC codec. The software will also allow the station to adopt new formats and codecs in the future, including 4K/UHD. As a result, Almatel Kazakhstan has launched a new UHD channel and has plans expand its UHD offerings in the future.

Almatel Kazakhstan CEO Eric Franke says that the Electra X platform allows for the delivery of about 140 SD and HD channels from the same DTH platform.

Resource :http://www.tvtechnology.com/news/0002/harmonic-hevc-system-put-to-use-by-almatel-kazakhstan/281208

GST bonanza: Electronics, lifestyle goods get cheaper

The new tax regime will not allow retailers a full set-off on goods procured in the last six months

 If you have been bitten by the shopping bug, you can’t be blamed. Well, at least, not this year. After all, it is not often that retail stores offer steep discounts in the months of May–June. While monsoon sales by apparel stores usually start by end of June and electronic stores do have some clearance sales in June-July, this year with the Goods and Services Tax (GST) starting from July 1, discounts are bigger than before.

For instance, electronic stores like Vijay Sales, Kohinoor and Digi1 are offering up to 50 per cent off on certain models or till stocks last. Snehanjali, another Mumbai-based electronic chain is advertising its offer as the pre-GST sale with a warning thrown in for good measure that “Prices for most electronic items are set to rise by 5 per cent’’. Electronic manufacturer Samsung is offering free DTH connection with televisions and extended warranty periods and free services with air-conditioners (ACs) and microwaves as part of its ‘June Fest’.


Brands such as Puma, Bata, ONLY, Jack & Jones, Vero Moda, Louis Philippe, Van Heusen, Benetton and US Polo have already begun their sales across major cities.

Retail chains such as Pantaloons, Lifestyle and Shoppers Stop are yet to come out with their formal end-of-season sale, but they have already started giving discounts on select brands in the range of 20-40 per cent.

Then, Flipkart and Shopclues are running their own versions of GST sale. Flipkart Fashion Days will run for nine days, from June 10 to June 18 under which the company would offer products from 50 brands. It will also hold A 'Bid n Win' contest for customers during the nine-day sale and the lowest unique bidders will win prizes like Emporio Armani watch worth Rs 13,995, Victorinox bag worth Rs 15,960 and more.

Impact of GST: With the GST on the anvil, retailers are worried that as any stock that they have procured in the last six months will not get the full set-off on the tax already paid when the transition to GST happens on July 1. That is why there is a scrambling to clear off stuff.

Currently, on stocks which are invoiced and delivered to the retailer, the VAT, excise and octroi in some cases have been has been paid. From July 1, if this stock is not cleared, retailers will be stuck with two kinds of stock. Stock on which there are GST invoices from the manufacturer client where the retailer can bill out and effectively claim a set off on GST and stock that is from before GST. On that stock retailer does not have GST invoice. And the effective set off would be only 60 per cent. “Essentially there is a loss on that and that is why retailers are trying to get the old stock out,”Ritesh Ghosal, Chief Marketing Officer, Infiniti Retail which owns Croma. The impact of GST will not be uniform and will vary depending on the region. For instance, in areas that have a lower VAT regime, like Karnataka and UP, prices could go up post GST. While in areas with higher VAT like Gujarat or Mumbai (which also has octroi) there could be softening of prices. “The immediate impact will not be more than 1.5 per cent either way,” he adds.

 case of apparels, with the input tax credit being made available under GST, prices will go down for cotton apparels below Rs 999 and remain unchanged for apparels above Rs 1,000, says Rakesh Biyani, Joint Managing Director, Future Retail. Apparels have a tax rate of 5 per cent and 12 per cent under GST. “June end-July is when end of season sales are held at stores. With the festive season this month, we are offering 50 per cent cash back on purchases of Rs 2,000,’’ he says.

Older models are being cleared: According to Arvind Singhal, Managing Director, Technopak, a management consulting firm, June and July are among the weakest months in the year for a number of categories. So these sales could be a way for many companies to actually use the pretext of GST and get their slow moving stocks out of the way by giving a discount. “Inventory lying in the pipeline will not be able to get any kind of tax rebate abatement. So, that is one reason why sales are happening. But GST is also a reason for stores to get their slow moving stocks out of the way by giving a discount,’’ he says.

Ghosal adds that the current sales are more clearance sales as stores push out inventory. “Every year, at this time there is a churn that happens. It is end of season and setting up for the new season. May and June is the period when stores flush out old stock,’’ he says. For instance, new television models are launched around August and between the festival season. Similarly, new laptop and computer models are launched in July when schools and colleges start their new terms.

It is likely that the discounts may continue post July, as stores clear their stock to make place for new models. “The festival period begins in September and usually there are not much discounts on the new models which will hit retail outlets by then,” says Singhal.

The discounts going on currently are more of a unit wise discount rather than a category wise discount. The discount depends on the age of the model and the particular store. Largely, they range from 15-25 on most categories. Though in stray cases they could be 70 per cent.

“Essentially the discount is catering to people who are deal seekers and who are happy to settle for older models,” Ghosal says. 

Resource : http://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/gst-bonanza-electronics-lifestyle-goods-get-cheaper-117061401458_1.html

Sun Direct has 3-year capex plan of Rs 1,475 cr; capital infusion from promoters not needed

MUMBAI: With Sun Direct turning profitable, the promoters need not infuse equity funding to support the direct-to-home (DTH) company. Sun Direct, which is 80% owned by Kalanithi Maran and his wife and 20% by Malaysia’s Astro, has a capital expenditure plan of Rs 1,475 crore for the next three financial years. Out of this, the intent is to have a debt funding of Rs 450 crore during FY18–FY20. The future capital expenditure of the company is expected to be supported through internal accruals and debt, with no further dependence on promoters’ contribution.


The main capex will be for purchase of customer premises equipment (CPE), a market source said. Earlier, the promoters of Sun Direct had been providing financial support to the company by infusing equity. Though Sun Direct started generating cash profits from FY13, it continued to incur losses until FY16. For the first nine months of FY17, Sun Direct posted net profit of Rs 21.2 crore on a revenue of Rs 907.93 crore. In FY16, Sun Direct reported net loss of Rs 35.30 crore compared to Rs 156.92 crore a year ago. T


otal operating income grew to Rs 1,116.61 crore, up from Rs 1,048.62 crore in the earlier year. Sun Direct’s net subscriber base has remained nearly stagnant for over four years with the focus being on South India. The company has a 10% market share of the total active DTH subscriber base, which is pegged at 62.65 million, as of 31 December 2016. Sun Direct has been able to maintain its market share in South India at about 40%. I

n the company’s net subscriber base, the share of South India has increased from about 94% during FY14 to over 97%. Sun Direct’s ARPU has been seeing steady growth over the years. For the first nine months of FY17, the DTH company’s ARPU increased to Rs 175 compared to Rs 163 in FY16. ARPU in FY15 was Rs 153, up from Rs 143 in FY14 and Rs 131 in FY13. The growth in ARPU has helped Sun Direct to improve on profitability parameters.


 The company’s losses at the net level have been declining over the last three years. In FY17, Sun Direct added three transponders on GSAT 15.

 It has a total of eight transponders, equally split between Measat 3 and GSAT 15. The addition of the transponders has enabled the company to increase the number of HD channels in its bouquet to 55. The increase in bandwidth will help Sun Direct to not only retain but also add subscribers while enhancing its ARPU, a media analyst said.

Resource : http://www.televisionpost.com/dth/sun-direct-has-3-year-capex-plan-of-rs-1475-cr-capital-infusion-from-promoters-not-needed/

Dish TV adds 3 channels to its portfolio

MUMBAI: Direct-to-home (DTH) operator Dish TV has added three new channels, namely Mirror Now, Miniplex and Teleone, on its platform. With the three new additions, the total count of channels and services offered by Dish TV now stands at 620.


Commenting on these additions, Dish TV CEO Anil Dua said, “We at Dish TV have been at the forefront of enhancing TV viewing experience and exploring opportunities to bring wholesome entertainment to the audience. With a sharp focus on content, the move aims at connecting strongly to provide the best of entertainment to our subscribers. The addition of these three channels will not only strengthen our presence but will also diversify our offerings.”

Moreover, keeping up the idea of providing the best of entertainment in industry, Dish TV recently added Arnab Goswami’s news channel Republic TV on their platform. Enhancing the kids genre, the DTH operator had also added Sony Yay to its channel repertoire last month. These two channels will be available on channel #771 and #989 respectively.

Resource : http://www.televisionpost.com/dth/dish-tv-adds-3-channels-to-its-portfolio/