The Hindu Business Line : `Tata Sky set to reach top slot by August'

Beating competition
Tata Sky is not worried about Sun Networks, Reliance Communications and Bharti's plans to launch their services.
`The global experience in most countries is that the market can support just two or three large players.'

MR VIKRAM KAUSHIK

Advertisement

New Delhi Feb. 23 With half a million subscribers in its kitty, Tata Sky — the Direct to Home (DTH) service provider — is confident of acquiring another half million and leadership position with it within a year of its launch.

"And that will be a world record," says Mr Vikram Kaushik, Managing Director, CEO, Tata Sky.

The company, which had committed Rs 3,000 crore when it launched last August, has already invested a Rs 1,000 crore and claims to be technologically prepared for the next 15 years and to have capacity to uplink to four satellites, instead of the single one now. "This business has a long gestation period and we are not expecting to break even before five to seven years," said Mr Kaushik.

Tata Sky is not worried about Sun Networks, Reliance Communications and Bharti's plans to launch DTH services. Currently, Zee's Dish TV is the only other DTH provider.

"New entrants are a sign of how well we are doing," says Mr Kaushik. "The global experience in most countries is that the market can support just two or three large players," he added, when asked about what the future of DTH looked like.

Mr Kaushik believes it is the quality of service, supported by high investments in technology, personnel and training that will set Tata Sky apart.

The service is also likely to become more affordable. As volume grows, prices will come down, says Tata Sky. The company feels that the fact it manufactures its own subscriber boxes should work to its advantage as pay-TV increases its coverage.

Thirty to 40 per cent of cable customers in the new CAS areas of Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata adopted Tata Sky's DTH service, claims the company.

The company has also settled its outstanding requests that accumulated during the New Year, when CAS was applied to three new cities.

Cashing in on the Cricket World Cup, Tata Sky has hired actor Hrithik Roshan as brand ambassador to sell its three-months free subscription offer.