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Dish TV to Raise INR 1,100 Crore |
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9 October 2007
Business Line |
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Essel Group’s direct-to-home (DTH) service provider, Dish TV India Ltd., is aiming to generate INR 1,100 crore. Arun K. Kapoor, the CEO of Essel Group commented, “It will be a combination of debt and equity. We are in talks with people, including some who have a background and interest in the cable business. We haven’t finalised anything yet”. An investment of INR 700 crore has already been made towards this end. |
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Fresh Campaign |
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A new advertisement campaign has been launched with Shah Rukh Khan as a long-term brand ambassador. However, the payment that the actor has received to endorse the brand remains undisclosed. Through the campaign, the company hopes that DTH will gain an edge over CAS when the final choice between the two is laid before customers.
Kapoor further commented that when the CAS system was implemented in regions of New Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata on 1 January 2007, DTH services offered by Dish TV and Tata Sky met with a favourable response, with about 20 percent customers opting for them. Thus, more subscribers are likely to be added with the extension of the system to 55 cities by next year. These 55 cities would account for 30-40 percent of the 70 million cable homes, thus bringing Dish TV’s share to 2.1-2.8 million new subscribers.
Not commenting on the financials of the campaign or the contract with Shah Rukh, Kapoor added, “We are rolling out the 360 degree campaign across 4,000 towns. This is the first time that we have also brought in the Zee association. So, you have the country’s first DTH service provider, India’s largest broadcaster and the country’s biggest star coming together.”
Kapoor also stated, “In the South, Sun Networks’ Sun Direct has already announced its prices. However, we have no plans of reducing the price of our set top boxes (STBs) yet. Let’s wait and see what happens?”.
The competition in the DTH market is likely to increase with Bharti Telemedia, Reliance’s Blue Magic and Videocon planning to make their entry in the near future. |
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Source: The Hindu Business Line |
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