Dish TV India adds 164 thousand subscribers in 3Q 2013

164 thousand subscribers added in the quarter ended September 30, 2013 taking net subscriber base to 11 million at the end of the period

NOIDA, India — Dish TV India Limited (Dishtv) (BSE: 532839, NSE: DISHTV) today reported second quarter fiscal 2014 standalone operating revenues of Rs.5,926 million, recording 11% growth over the corresponding period last fiscal. Subscription revenues of Rs. 5,370 million recorded a growth of 13.6% over the corresponding quarter last fiscal. EBITDA returned to growth trajectory with a margin of 25%. Net Loss was down to Rs. 160 million compared to Rs. 304 million in the previous quarter.

Mr. Jawahar Goel, Managing Director, Dish TV, said, “We added 164 thousand net subscribers during the quarter and maintained our leadership share. Aided by quality additions, Dish TV’s churn remained at 0.6% p.m. while SAC was flattish. This was despite the fact that being seasonally weak, the quarter witnessed brief periods of desperate attempts to undercut prices by select DTH platforms.”

Growing internet penetration, and with majority of it being used to watch video on mobile devices, is a clear indicator of things to come. Anticipating a massive shift in viewing habits where increasing number of viewers would want to watch TV on the go, or watch it on screens other than TV. Dish TV, in technical collaboration with ‘Ditto TV’, has launched an exclusive OTT (over-the-top) streaming application exclusively for its subscribers.

The application ‘DishOnline’ can be freely downloaded and would enable Dish TV subscribers to watch Live TV, Catch-up TV and Movies on the Go by paying an additional Rs. 129 or Rs. 49 per month for the fully loaded and basic pack respectively. As a special introductory offer, these are currently available at Rs. 69 and Rs. 29 per month. The ‘DishOnline’ service would have a following amongst the tech-savvy viewers in the country and would help increase subscriber stickiness on the platform.