Direct-to-the-Home (DTH) service provider, D2h, has announced the extension of account validity of every subscriber by one day. Showing its support towards PM Narendra Modi's Janta Curfew, D2h is not collecting one-day charges from the users. On March 22, Sunday, Janta Curfew was in place to fight against the spread of Coronavirus in India. D2h says it is waiving off the charges for one day and the same will be adjusted with next recharge. While D2h is part of Dish TV India, there's no such move from the latter as of this writing. It is an excellent move from D2h, which also shows support towards the government's decision to impose a nationwide curfew.
D2h Subscribers Get Free Service for One Day
In a text message to existing subscribers, D2h said "Stay Home. Stay Safe. Stay Entertained. In support of Janta Curfew, d2h extends your account by one day. The same shall be adjusted on your next recharge.” As noted, Dish TV and other DTH operators did not announce any such move. This essentially means D2h subscribers are getting service for free of cost.
D2h announced this move to support Janta Curfew. In order to stop the spreading of Coronavirus, Narendra Modi-led government announced Janta Curfew during which citizens are not supposed to step out from their homes for a period of 14 hours between 7 AM to 9 PM.
Coronavirus to Increase TV Viewership Drastically
Coronavirus will have a bad impact on several industries, however, it is expected to positive changes to the Indian broadcasting sector. In a major move, the government announced another 21-day lockdown period in India and the normal days would only begin after April 14. During these 21 days, all the citizens are not supposed to step out from their houses, meaning they will be glued to the TV screens.
After the Trai NTO 1.0' implementation last year, a lot of subscribers ditched their DTH/Cable TV connections to watch content on the web from OTT apps like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, SunNXT, ZEE5 and so on. However, we expect subscribers to recharge their DTH/Cable TV accounts during this lockdown period and it will result in increased viewership.
Already, the changes brought by Trai with NTO 2.0 is having a positive effect on the industry because of the increased FTA channels on offer with base NCF slab and reduced Multi TV charges. Nevertheless, the lockdown means the full implementation of NTO 2.0 will be delayed as the battle between broadcasters and Trai is yet to be settled. If you are looking to renew your DTH account, the service providers are also having some decent offers in place, do check them out before proceeding.
