This is the age of digitisation of analogue cable and more and more people are moving towards DTH platform. The active subscriber base of the 6 commercial DTH operators put together is around 41 million in the quarter ended March 2015 as per figures released by TRAI. This number is expected to grow with the phase 3 and 4 of digitisation of cable TV. In such conditions the subscriber at times finds himself confused between all the options in front of him. Which DTH operator caters to his needs best? Which operator should he pick?
Well, while each individual’s needs and priorities are different and some prefer quality and service over price, it is a general trend in the Indian market that price is a major deciding factor on which people base their decisions. So for a rapidly evolving price sensitive market like India, I felt the need to have a basic comparison between the various entry level Base packs offered by DTH operators across India.
For the sake of this comparison I have taken Into consideration all 6 operators and the most recent official data from their websites. Also packs like ‘My pack 99’ by Airtel digital TV and Tata Sky which need the subscriber to subscribe to a compulsory add on pack along with the base pack have not been considered for the sake of this comparison. Only entry level packs which offer an Annual payment option have been picked for comparison.
Rest of India entry level packs:
These packs apply to subscribers of 24 Indian states apart from the 5 south Indian states of Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu. The details of entry level packs of all operators along with information on number of channels included and tariff of monthly and annual subscription of the packs along with bonus duration is given in the table below.
It is evident that Videocon d2h and Dish TV offer the most number of channels in their entry level packs while Reliance digital TV and Sun direct provide the cheapest annual subscription offers on their entry level base packs in Rest of India.
South India entry level packs:
These packs apply only to the 5 south Indian states of Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu. The details of entry level packs of all operators along with information on number of channels included and tariff of monthly and annual subscription of the packs along with bonus duration is given in the table below.
Operator
Name of entry level base pack
Number of channels offered
Monthly validity price (Rs.)
Annual validity price (Rs.)
Videocon d2h
South silver pack
298
202
2424 + 30 days
Dish TV
Jumbo family
230+
205
2460 + 24 days
Airtel digital TV
South max Tamil
150~
180
1980 + 30 days
South max Telugu
1977 + 30 days
South max Kannada
1978 + 30 days
South max Malayalam
1979 + 30 days
Tata Sky
South special
97
190
2090
Reliance digital tv
Value pack
153
190
1971
Sun direct
Tamil value
128+
175
1800
Telugu value
130+
Kannada value
127+
Malayalam value
129+
It is evident that Videocon d2h and Dish TV offer the most number of channels in their entry level packs while Reliance digital TV and Sun direct provide the cheapest annual subscription offers on their entry level base packs in South India.
Note:
This is a very basic comparison based on the number of channels offered by a DTH operator in his entry level base packs and the tariffs for the same, meant for guidance of readers to enable them to make a more educated choice of operator. Actual selection is greatly influenced by many other factors like availability in a geographical area, retail presence of the operator, ease of recharge, after sales servicing and response from customer care. Readers are advised to check with the respective operators for more details on packs and terms of service before buying.
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