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Direct-to-Home service provider Airtel Digital TV, part of the Bharti Airtel group, has launched its hybrid set-top box called Airtel Internet TV, in a bid to offer consumers a seamless entertainment experience that combines online and linear television content.
The company is especially hoping to woo non-smart TV consumers in the top cities, who largely depend on smaller screens of their smart devices to watch online content. For new users, Airtel Internet TV is available at price points of ₹4,999, with three months DTH subscription and ₹7,999 with one-year subscription.
The company has also rolled out bundled offers for its existing broadband and DTH subscribers at ₹3,999.
Powered by Android TV, the hybrid set-top box is 4k content ready, and comes pre-loaded with various content apps such as Netflix, YouTube, Google Play Music, Google Play Games and Airtel Movies among others. It comes with in-built Chromecast and requires a broadband connection.
Asked if this will help the DTH service provider to offer a higher margins product, Sunil Taldar, CEO and Director-DTH, Bharti Airtel, told BusinessLine , “Our primary objective is to cater to an unmet consumer need. To be able to watch online content on the bigger TV screen, consumers want a better, seamless and affordable experience. We are the first player to cater to this demand with a hybrid set-top box that bridges the gap between the online and offline worlds with a single device.”
Taldar pointed out that consumers will not need to upgrade to a smart TV as this hybrid STB is compatible with any TV enabling users to switch between online and linear TV content.
In talks with Amazon Prime “The crucial aspect is this gives us a fantastic platform for future innovation and integration. We are already in discussions with Amazon Prime. We are also talking to other OTT players,” he added.
The hybrid STB will be exclusively available on Amazon for a month after which it will be made available across offline stores. “Growing broadband penetration is driving the popularity of online content particularly in urban homes. So we will initially be looking to launch Airtel Internet TV in the top 20 cities before expanding it further,” he added.
Experts believe the company is expected to face stiff competition as other companies too are building capabilities to launch similar products this year. As of December 2016, Airtel Digital TV had over 12.5 million subscribers.
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