As DTH (direct-to-home) television strengthens its roots in India, Dish TV, a venture from the Essel Group, which also owns Zee Telefilms, plans to venture to the next level and introduce two new concepts – ‘Movies on Demand’ and ‘Digital Video Recording’.
Speaking to agencyfaqs!, Sunil Khanna, CEO, Dish TV, says, “Movies on Demand is the first such initiative in India and will hit the nation by the end of October. It is based on a pay-per-view basis. Viewers can book their choice of movie via SMS or a phone call and the movie will get activated in their set-top box for 24 hours.”
He continues, “This concept is remarkably unique because on any satellite channel, movie timings usually stretch to more than fours hours due to advertising. However, in the pay-per-view model, the timings will be limited to the exact length of the feature film as there will be no ad breaks. Moreover, since it is digital, the quality of the transmission will be far superior.”
The movies available will go beyond the existing ones in the Zee library and include new releases. Khanna says, “Mostly, we will showcase newly released movies, for which we are getting into a revenue sharing arrangement with film producers.”
The movies will cost the viewers Rs 40 per view. Dish TV also has separate annual subscription tariff plans, one at Rs 3,990 for 75 channels and the other at Rs 4,990 for 130 channels.
Dish TV’s second venture is called Digital Video Recording. This will be launched in November.
Talking about this venture, Khanna says, “It is more like a personal video recording. It is a set-top box with a hard disc, which costs Rs 16,000. Digital Video Recording serves three purposes at the same time. One, if you are watching television and are interrupted for any reason, the set-top box will record the rest of the programme for you. Two, you can watch one channel and simultaneously record programmes on six other channels. Three, if you don’t want to miss a programme while you are away from home, you can programme the set-top box to record it for you.”
Currently, Dish TV has more than five lakh subscribers, of which 25 per cent is based in Gujarat and Maharashtra. Talking about the subscription initiatives, Khanna says, “Currently, we register more than 3,000 subscribers per day and we expect to touch a one million subscriber base by the end of this financial year. Recently, we have observed that people buying plasma television sets, LCDs or any other high-end television sets are opting for Dish TV. Although we do not have any official association with any television company, television dealers, especially in the smaller towns, are guiding such buyers to opt for Dish TV.”
Apart from these two ventures, Dish TV will also foray into gaming and interactive television in the next six months.
2 degrees to the left. 