And among the five players in the DTH industry, Airtel Digital TV is the fastest growing company. Started 21 months ago, it is slated to reach subscribers base of 5.2 million by the end of March 2011 and Airtel Digital TV CEO-South Raviganesh V claims that this is the fastest ramp-up by a DTH operator not just in India but in the world. “One out of every four new DTH customers is with Airtel. We are aiming to add at least another 3 million subscribers in the next financial and may even touch 10 million,” Raviganesh told Deccan Herald.
Listing out various reasons for speedy growth, he pointed out that strong distribution network of Airtel Digital TV, aided by huge mobile telephony subscriber base of Airtel, has been its biggest strength and key growth driver. Airtel currently has 1,200 channels partners and over 1.1 lakh retail touch points, largest reach for any DTH player today, he claimed.
Since the business of DTH is all about meeting highest level of customers’ aspirations, Airtel has invested heavily into technology. For example, its network is built on the latest MPEG 4 DVBS2 technology for sharper picture quality. If away from home, its set top box allows one to record programmes with a mobile phone.
Elaborating on the future strategy, he pointed out that Airtel will vastly enlarge the number of channels on the network from present 200. It will also add more High Definition (HD) channels as the number of such offering is slated to increase.
He is also of the view that the pay per view (PPV), which allows one to order for movies of his choice, will also be a big driver for growth. “As Indians love to watch movies we shall be very active in this space with large offerings,” he said.