Airtel Digital TV, the DTH arm of Bharti Airtel, has introduced a new pack called 'All Channels.' As the name of the DTH pack itself suggests, it offers all the channels which are being aired on Airtel Digital TV platform. The price of the newly launched plan is Rs 1,315, however, after the addition of Network Capacity Fee (NCF) of Rs 360, the price of the plan becomes Rs 1,675 for just one month. Right now, Airtel Digital TV is offering a total of 563 channels on its platform, including both FTA and A-la-carte ones. However, the All Channels pack from Airtel Digital TV does not include the Standard Definition (SD) channels of the HD channels included in the pack. For example, if the pack offers ZEE Telugu HD, then it will not ship with ZEE Telugu SD pack. Also, the pack does not include any service channels.
Airtel Digital TV All Channels Pack: Expected Total Channel Count
As mentioned above, Airtel Digital TV is currently offering a total of 563 channels to its subscribers. Right now, FTA channels on the platform are 258 whereas the a-la-carte channel count is 305. However, customers will not get all the 563 channels to watch as part of the All Channels pack. Instead, Airtel Digital TV will not provide some SD channels whose HD channels will be bundled. As noted, if a customer is getting an HD variant of Star Sports 1, then the SD variant of Star Sports 1 will not be part of the package. It's unknown how Airtel Digital TV will categorise the HD and SD channels offered with the All Channels. We're expecting the DTH operator to provide the HD channels based on the region as there's no such option to choose while opting the pack.
As for the activation, customers can head over to Airtel Thanks app or log into the Airtel self-care portal to choose the all-new 'All Channels' pack from Airtel Digital TV. The price of the plan is Rs 1,675 including Rs 360 NCF charges. Without the FTA channels, the pack costs Rs 1,315, however, customers are forced to choose FTA channels as part of their channel pack.
Should You Choose the All Channels Pack from Airtel Digital TV?
After the new tariff regime by Trai came into effect, the TV bills of consumers have gone up by a decent margin. If not for the Trai's tariff regime, then there won't be any Network Capacity Fee (NCF) applicable on top the selected a-la-carte channel packs. However, earlier DTH and Cable TV operators used to charge for the FTA channels, but not the monthly amount of Rs 153 though.
Overall, the All Channels pack from Airtel Digital TV offers more than 450 channels to the customers (excluding the SD channels), which is a good thing. But the price of the pack is on the higher side at Rs 1,675 per month. This pack may be useful for some commercial purpose, but right now, there are several regional packs being offered by Airtel Digital TV which should get the job done for most of the customers.
For one year, the All Channels pack from Airtel Digital TV costs around Rs 20,000 and it's not at all a good option to choose from. Very recently, we have reported the company's long-term channel packs along with their prices and they seem to be a better option than this pack from Airtel Digital TV.
