Arun 795 Report post Posted May 9, 2008 Business Standard New Delhi - May 10, 2008 The price-war has begun in the direct-to-home (DTH) market with the country's largest DTH company Dish TV — with over 3 million subscribers —getting ready to offer its connection virtually free. Any consumer who wants to buy a Dish TV connection will not have to pay for the set-top box, the hardware essential to access DTH services and normally costs Rs 2,500. This move is in anticipation of the launch of services from Reliance Communications' Big TV and Bharti's DTH services and also to take on its competitor Tata Sky, which has now crossed the 2 million subscriber mark. This step is also expected to add to the monthly losses of Dish TV, currently estimated to be over Rs 450 crore. According to sources, Dish TV is set to undertake a massive branding exercise centred on a "free Dish TV connection" featuring its brand ambassador Shah Rukh Khan at an estimated budget in excess of Rs 50 crore. According to the plan, a Dish TV set-top box is likely to come free with every Dish TV connection as the consumers will just have to make an annual one-time payment of Rs 4,000 towards the monthly subscription fees. Recently, Big TV had announced its DTH connections for its employees at only Rs 1,000 plus the monthly subscription fees of about Rs 300 (see table). According to industry experts, this move is likely to benefit Dish TV increase its overall DTH market share, from 59 per cent to over 65 per cent, within a month. A free set-top box is likely to increase Dish TV's losses as every DTH company heavily subsidises the cost of its set-top boxes. A DTH set-top box normally costs Rs 3,200 to Rs 3,500 to the DTH company but is offered to consumers at Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,500 Company - Cost of STB - Monthly subscription Dish TV - Free* - Rs 300+taxes Tata Sky - Rs 1,500+installation - Rs 300+taxes Big TV (soft launch only) - Rs 1,000+installation - Rs 200+taxes Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Honest 836 Report post Posted May 9, 2008 ^^^ Thats a great news my dear friends. Now its the time for subscribers to enjoy these benefits. This is just the start of the competition. Further, low monthly rentals also can be expected due to this competition. Enjoy ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dj 25 Report post Posted May 10, 2008 i might be worng on this but on comparision tata sky seems to have a better picture quality than dish tv... though i am told tata sky is ridden with a lot of hidden costs... maybe those here can suggest which one is better... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CUPIDON 0 Report post Posted May 10, 2008 i might be worng on this but on comparision tata sky seems to have a better picture quality than dish tv... though i am told tata sky is ridden with a lot of hidden costs... maybe those here can suggest which one is better... I have not used Dosh TV, but iam using Tata Sky for the past one year, I am very very happy with the service and picture quality, I have never encountered any Hodden cost problems till date, the billing is transparent Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
raccoon 53 Report post Posted May 10, 2008 Hidden cost in Tata Sky... well, we bought a Tata Sky connection around the last week of December 07 and were promised 7 months subscription was included in the cost. But since March or April, Tata has shifted NDTV Imagine and 9 other channels (if I remember correctly) in an add on package which costs Rs. 30 per month. So, instead of the expected Rs. 300 per month, we would now have to shell out Rs. 330 per month. And we disconnected Hathway (digital, with set top box) which was charging Rs. 270 per month... so we would now end up paying Rs. 60 more per month for cable tv! Not sure you can call this a hidden charge, but we aren't happy about having to pay more... and subscribe to add on packs & keep track of them and all... However, Tata definitely has way better service... and slightly better picture quality... not much difference there. However, have never experienced any downtime with Tata... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Greatest 55 Report post Posted May 10, 2008 We have been using dishtv for more than 3 years... it also has good picture quality... atleast better than our cablewalah... and the sound is also quite good... we are paying a rental of 285/month which airs all the channels... and it is also very user-friendly... i mean the buttons, messages, etc... after the launch of bigtv, you never know what is gonna happen... but one thing is for sure... the subscribers would be at the receiving end this time...!! hail ADAG!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
@ksh@T 20 Report post Posted May 10, 2008 me using TS for past one year and more, never ever faced ne sort of problem the picture qualkity is Xcellent . .and never felt of ne hidden cost, only lack in TS is less channels . .thats it Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
raccoon 53 Report post Posted May 10, 2008 Ya... Tata sky dosent air channels like Hallmark, Zee Jagran, local video channels and some others... But then we are getting channels like BBC entertainment, which we werent getting on Hathway. Also, the set top box software and stuff is slightly less user friendly than Hathway's... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Puneet 0 Report post Posted May 11, 2008 I have used both TataSky and Dish TV and can vouch for the service quality of TataSky. Dish TV comes no where near the standards of TS. There is a visible difference in picture quality and the sound quality on both. Also, the alert services and menu services on TS actually work, while on Dish I am yet to see correct subscription information displayed correctly for once. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chandannasta 4 Report post Posted May 11, 2008 (edited) Guys yesterday when I heard about dishtv set top box freely available I was really happy and thinking to buy for my house, but now just confused after reading all this. I want to make a decision whether to continue with my cable which I have from past 27 years or should go in for dish tv or tatasky. Which 1 is the best? Edited May 11, 2008 by chandannasta Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dkaile 1,051 Report post Posted May 11, 2008 ^^^^ I think you should wait a little bit longer. Let Big TV Launch and then I am sure even Tata will offer a cheaper alternative. Wait for 1 month more. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
raccoon 53 Report post Posted May 11, 2008 27 years??????? No kidding!!! Cable tv did not even exist that long ago!!! Lol! Yes, it would be worth the wait. With Dish offering free set top box, I'm sure Tata will have to come up with better options... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Honest 836 Report post Posted May 11, 2008 Cable tv did not even exist that long ago ^^^ Yes my dear friends, Raccoon is correct. Cable Television started in Indian in the year 1992. Regards. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chandannasta 4 Report post Posted May 12, 2008 Cable tv did not even exist that long ago ^^^ Yes my dear friends, Raccoon is correct. Cable Television started in Indian in the year 1992. Regards. Honest I mean to say from so many years I am hooked to Cable TV at my place. By looking at these replies I think I shall wait for any tata offers to come out as many people are saying that tata quality is the best then compared to dish. Dish has quantity but not quality, and tata has quality but not quantity right. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
amtrag 20 Report post Posted May 12, 2008 Dish TV is now giving STB free but charging Rs.4K for 1 yr subscription...intially (1-2 yrs ago) it was charging Rs.4K for STB and giving 1 yr subscription free...I mean is'nt it one and the same thing? I think we should look at the cost of ownership (i.e. any one-time upfront charges + monthly recurring charges) for a duration of 1 yr and then compare TS, DTV, Big, Airtel etc etc. That would be a fair comparion. And my advise would be: Let the players start IPTV also (MTNL has started, Reliance is launching very soon)... it might be better than DTH technology-wise. So wait and watch for a few months. I myself have been using tata sky for more than 8-9 months...never faced a minute's outage except for few mins during heavy downpours (here's where IPTV/ cable wins). Picture & sound quality are also good...although sound is in mono and Not stereo. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
raccoon 53 Report post Posted May 12, 2008 Yes, check out BSNL's/MTNL IPTV. I inquired before getting my Tata Sky connection... the subscription is the cheapest... but they didnt have channels like HBO, etc... and that wasnt acceptable. Also, BSNL has sad reputation for service. The tech and facilities of IPTV, however, seem to make it more attractive. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
