Four major broadcasters are set to withdraw their general entertainment channels (GEC) from the Prasar Bharati-owned free direct to home (DTH) platform with effect from April 1, 2022. The channels to be removed from DD Free Dish are Star Utsav, Zee Anmol, Colors Rishtey, and Sony Pal. These channels will now be available only on DTH platforms like Cable, Tata Play and Airtel.
According to sources in the satellite broadcasting industry, broadcasters fear that after the implementation of the new Tariff Order (NTO) 2.0, customers will start migrating from the pay distribution platform to DD Free Dish. In view of this, broadcasters have removed these popular channels from DD Free Dish to increase their Average Revenue Per User (ARPU). Sources also claim that this is a deliberate decision of the big broadcasters, which will be beneficial for them in the future. This is seen as a necessary step for broadcasters looking to secure their subscription revenue.
It may be noted that cable and DTH platforms were constantly complaining to broadcasters about GEC content being shown free of cost to their members. Pay TV platforms wanted parity as these channels do not charge subscription fee from DD Free Dish customers. DTH operators have been of the view that these channels should be either pay or FTA on the platforms. Industry experts also say that the migration from pay platforms to DD Free Dish will have a profound impact on pay TV broadcasters such as Star, Zee, Sony and Viacom18. Subscription revenues for broadcasters have also been impacted by a reduction in the pay universe when the price freeze due to NTO 2.0.