Dish TV revenue slumps 3.9% in Q2 on drop in subscriber income

DTH operator added 188,000 subscribers on a net basis during the September quarter, taking its total subscriber base to 15.9 million; Arpu at Rs 149

Direct-to-home (DTH) service provider Dish TV saw its revenue in the quarter ended Sepember declining by 3.9 per cent from that in the same quarter a year earlier.

Revenue from operations fell to Rs 748.6 crore, against Rs 779.3 crore last year, mainly on account of a 3.3 per cent slide in subscription revenue to Rs 704.9 crore from Rs 728.8 crore in the year-ago period. The company’s other income reduced by 18.7 per cent from Rs 17.4 crore to Rs 7.7 crore on a year-on-year basis.

Loss before tax stood at Rs 27.2 crore, compared to a profit of Rs 57.3 crore in the same quarter last year. As a result, the company’s net loss for the quarter stood at Rs 17.9 crore, compared to a net profit of Rs 69 crore a year ago.

On a sequential basis, the company showed signs of recovery from the impact of demonetisation. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (Ebitda) margins improved during the quarter when compared with the past few quarters. Operational efficiencies, along with some revenue expansion from an improved customer sentiment led to Ebitda margins improving from 27.2 per cent in the previous quarter to 28.9 per cent in the September quarter.

The DTH operator added 188,000 subscribers on a net basis during the quarter, taking its total subscriber base to 15.9 million. Its average revenue per user for the quarter was Rs 149, while churn was just shy of 0.8 per cent.