Number of inactive pay-TV households in India grows

Over the past three months as many as six million households across India didn’t renew their pay-TV subscriptions as they either lacked money or faced increased medical expenses associated with the second wave of COVID-19, anecdotal evidence suggests. 

Why it matters

Distribution platform operators may face a challenge in persuading subscribers to return when the economy picks up as some will have defected to free alternatives like DD Free Dish. At the other end of the scale, OTT subscriptions are picking up in metro cities. 

Context 

The diagnosis of the problem depends on where one is coming from: 

• One leading DTH (direct to home) company told Exchange4Media that the impact has largely been “in the Hindi belt among low ARPU customers”.
• A TV distribution executive said the issue lies with corporate subscribers, who are not – yet – renewing even though offices are reopening. 
• Airtel believes there is an opportunity, as more of the country emerges from lockdown, for DTH to gain share at the expense of cable.
  

Sourced from Exchange4Media