Competitive Strategies Case Study

DTH vs. Cable TV: Sky Wars in India

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Abstract:

Home entertainment in India had come a long way from the days when there was only one national channel, Doordarshan, to the age of satellite television and, now, the latest development called DTH (Direct to Home) technology.The entry of TATA-Sky with its DTH (Direct to Home) platform posed a threat to the cable T.V industry. DTH gained popularity because it provided hundreds of channels, 24x7 with clear transmission quality, pay per view films and programs and a whole set of choices hitherto unknown to the Indian television viewer. As of 2006, there were three companies providing DTH services in India- Doordarshan, Dishtv and the latest entrant Tata-Sky. Some more players like Reliance and Sun TV were expected to hit the market in the near future. With the Government of India having set the end of 2006 as the deadline to introduce CAS (Conditional Access System), in selected metros and later all over India, the scene would become more competitive. Cable operators have started pressurising the Indian Government to speed up the process of changing the analog technology to digital. Once cable is digitised, cable operators would also be in a position to provide programs in high quality.

Apart from DTH, new emerging technological advancements in TV viewing like Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) and Cell Phone TV would also compete among themselves to get their share of the market in the Indian home entertainment industry. For IPTV one would need a broadband connection as well as a set-top-box and a personal computer. Considering the low PC penetration in India, IPTV might take some more time to gain popularity. The advancement in mobile telephone technology has resulted in mobile phones where channels could be viewed. But some of the main constraints of mobile TV could be the prohibitive cost of the handset, the smaller size of the screen and the low penetration rate of personal computers in India. On the whole, the Indian customer would have more options in terms of TV entertainment and the main deciding factor would be service support. The case allows for discussion on the present scenario of home entertainment in India.

Pedagogical Objectives:

• To introduce the students to the home entertainment industry in India
• To highlight the various technological advancements that happened in the field of TV broadcasting
• To throw light on various service providers and their services
• To discuss the emerging technologies in home entertainment in India.

Keywords : DTH; Cable TV in India; Satellite TV in India; Home entertainment in India; Strategy; Competitive Strategies Case Study; Competition; Marketing; Service; Target customer

Contents : 
Direct To Home (DTH): A new revolution
Emerging technology in TV viewing
Some popular channels in India
Regulations for cable & television in India
TV, Cable & Satellite homes in India