Tata Sky has slashed the prices of its Set-Top Boxes yet again for the upcoming Diwali season. Tata Sky, which is now the leading DTH service provider in India, is now offering SD Set-Top Box at a price of Rs 1,099, followed by the HD Set-Top Box at Rs 1,299. Earlier, the prices of SD and HD Set-Top Boxes were Rs 1,399 and Rs 1,499, respectively, so the company has slashed prices by up to Rs 300. This is a third price drop from Tata Sky in the last six months, especially after the new tariff regime became effective. In other news, Tata Sky also introduced the new channel prices yesterday, as part of which customers avail popular channels at Rs 7 less than the earlier prices. Very recently, we have reported Airtel Digital TV HD STB's new price of Rs 1,300 and the new price Tata Sky is possibly to take on the same operator.
New Prices of Tata Sky Set-Top Boxes Revealed
According to Tata Sky, the company will offer up to 28% discount on Set-Top Boxes this Diwali season. Tata Sky' SD Set-Top Box can be picked up for Rs 1,099 and the HD STB is available at Rs 1,299. Before the new tariff regime from Trai came into effect, Tata Sky used to sell the HD Set-Top Box for Rs 1,899, so now it's available at Rs 600 less, which is a good thing for the consumers and Tata Sky alike. With these new prices, Tata Sky will be looking to increase its subscriber base even further. In the last quarter, Tata Sky has dethroned Dish TV to become the leading DTH operator of India, and with such moves, the company' subscriber base will only get better. Sadly, Tata Sky's offer is limited to new connections and not for SD to HD upgrade users.
As for the competition, Airtel Digital TV is also selling its HD Set-Top Box at Rs 1,300 and SD STB at Rs 1,100. When it comes to the subscriber base, Airtel Digital TV is third on the list, next to Dish TV despite offering a variety of Set-Top Boxes to the customers. For the unaware, Airtel Digital TV is providing wide-range of STBs to the customers- Airtel Xstream Box, Airtel Internet TV, Airtel Digital TV HD and SD STBs. On the flip side, Tata Sky is offering four Set-Top Boxes to the users- Tata Sky HD, Tata Sky SD, Tata Sky +HD and Tata Sky Ultra High Definition 4K.
Do make a note that Tata Sky has slashed the prices of the only HD and SD Set-Top Boxes and the company's other two STBs are retailing at the same old prices. Tata Sky +HD Digital Set-Top Box is available at Rs 9,300, whereas the Tata Sky Ultra HD 4K Box can be picked up for Rs 6,400.
Tata Sky Lacking in the Linear Set-Top Box Segment
While Tata Sky has managed to become the leading Direct-to-the-Home (DTH) operator in India, it's lagging behind the competition in a crucial aspect. Airtel Digital TV launched the Airtel Xstream Box hybrid Set-Top Box last month at Rs 3,999 and the operator was soon followed by Dish TV which brought Dish SMRT Hub to the market last week at the same price of Rs 3,999. Tata Sky is providing just HD and SD Set-Top Boxes to the users and it's lacking in this segment.
Tata Sky does have the Binge service with which a customer can watch OTT content through Amazon Fire TV Stick, but it's a separate accessory. Hybrid Set-Top Box offers both Satellite TV and OTT apps content which is an added advantage. It's rumoured that Tata Sky will launch Binge+ Smart Set-Top Box in the coming weeks to take on the competition.
