Mumbai: India’s pay Direct-to-Home (DTH) sector has witnessed a notable decline in its active subscriber base, falling from 62.17 million in June 2024 to 59.91 million by September 2024, according to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). This decline excludes subscribers of DD Free Dish, the free DTH service provided by Doordarshan, highlighting evolving trends in India’s television consumption habits.
“Pay DTH has attained a total active subscriber base of around 59.91 million. This is in addition to the subscribers of the DD Free Dish (free DTH services of Doordarshan). The total active subscriber base has decreased from 62.17 million in June 2024 to 59.91 million in September 2024,” stated TRAI’s Telecom Services Performance Indicator Report.
The report further reveals that the total pay DTH subscriber base stood at 64.18 million in the corresponding quarter ending September 2023. Since then, the sector has seen a consistent decline every quarter, except for a minor uptick of 200,000 subscribers from March 2024 to June 2024.
Currently, India’s pay DTH market comprises four major players: Dish TV, Tata Play, Bharti Telemedia, and Sun Direct. As per TRAI’s findings, Tata Play holds the largest market share at 31.99%, followed by Bharti Telemedia at 29.38%, Dish TV at 19.53%, and Sun Direct at 19.10%.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has permitted 912 private satellite TV channels for various modes of operation (uplinking, downlinking, or both). Of these, 902 channels are available for downlinking in India, with 362 classified as pay TV channels as of September 30, 2024.
“As per the reporting done by broadcasters in pursuance of the Tariff Order dated 3rd March 2017, as amended, out of 902 permitted satellite TV channels which are available for downlinking in India, there are 362 satellite pay TV channels as on 30th September 2024. Out of 362 pay channels, 258 are SD satellite pay TV channels,” the report stated, adding that there were 540 free-to-air (FTA) channels.
Among the 362 pay channels, the top five broadcasters—Star India, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd, Viacom18 Media Private Limited, SUN TV Network Limited, and Culver Max Entertainment Private Limited—control 205 channels. Star India leads with 64 channels, followed by Zee Entertainment (49), Viacom18 (39), SUN TV Network (31), and Culver Max Entertainment (22).
The number of Multi-System Operators (MSOs) with Permanent Registration (valid for 10 years) for providing cable TV services through Digital Addressable Systems (DAS) decreased from 880 in June 2024 to 845 in September 2024. Among these, GTPL Hathway topped the list with 8.97 million subscribers as of September 2024, followed by Hathway Digital (5.17 million) and Siti Networks (4.81 million).
The consistent decline in pay DTH subscribers underscores a shift in consumer preferences, possibly driven by the growing popularity of over-the-top (OTT) platforms and changing content consumption patterns. With fewer MSOs and increasing competition among broadcasters and DTH providers, the sector faces significant challenges in adapting to the evolving media landscape.
