Satellite Technology Feature Article
February 20, 2009
DTH Satellite TV Service Excels in India
By Jyothi Shanbhag, TMCnet Contributor
Direct-to-home, or DTH Satellite Television, is a recent phenomenon in India showing a strong growth indication that doubled to about 9 million subscribers at the end of 2008, according to a report by In-Sat,
“India now has five pay DTH satellite providers with a sixth expected to enter the market early in 2009,” said Mike Paxton, In-Stat (News - Alert) analyst.
Previously, Doordarshan was the only free to air satellite channel in India, but with the advent of Star TV and Zee TV, Sun TV and various other satellite channels, its market has extended through private channels for Satellite TV in India.
Satellite television is becoming increasingly popular due to problems cable television has created. The quality of signals, availability and pirated channels is prevalent among cable service networks and providers had become a nuisance, according to the study. DTH service providers are offering an efficient solution to the problem with a better picture quality that every consumer prefers, the study said.
Another report from In-sat says that Cable TV operators around the world are now relying on cable modem services to generate new revenue streams and "beef up" their business model. In fact, bundled cable video and cable modem service is providing cable TV operators with a significant competitive advantage over their pay-TV service rivals.
The report also reveals that worldwide market for pay-Direct-to-Home (DTH) satellite television has also grown significantly in 2008, with an estimated 18 percent rise in subscriptions and revenues will eclipse $142.7 billion by 2011.
In-Stat research which is named The Worldwide Digital Satellite Pay-TV Market, 2008 covers the worldwide market for digital satellite pay TV. Report says that there will be nearly 200 million DTH pay-TV subscribers worldwide by 2012.
This report identifies where that subscriber growth is taking place and discusses why it is occurring and also includes historical and current subscriber totals for all service providers by country and geographic region, and identifies new service providers planning to begin offering service in the near future. The report also provides worldwide subscriber and revenue forecasts by region and countries.
In-Stat analyst predicts that, in the Asia/Pacific region, China is likely to introduce a pay DTH satellite service in 2009 or 2010, which will help sustain strong growth in Asia.
Jyothi Shanbhag is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Jyothi's articles, please visit her columnist page.
Edited by Tim Gray
