DTH firms pivot to content aggregation as subscriber count declines

With pay DTH subscribers down to 50 million in June, operators such as Dish TV and Tata Play are diversifying into OTT aggregation, broadband and devices to offset revenue decline

Struggling to get customers, direct-to-home (DTH) companies are shifting their focus to new revenue streams by diversifying or offering more content in partnership with streaming platforms.

 

The DTH industry had 50.07 million paying subscribers in the April-June quarter, down 12 per cent from 56.92 million subscribers in January-March, according to reports by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai). India has four pay DTH operators: Bharti Telemedia has a market share of 30.20 per cent, followed by Tata Play (31.42 per cent), Sun Direct TV (19.32 per cent), and Dish TV (19.06 per cent). Tata Play refused to comment for