Bharti Airtel’s DTH arm Digital TV will continue to offer Zee content within its bundles, flipping earlier talks of the offerings being removed as standalone content on the platform, said sources in the know.
Airtel’s Digital TV had earlier put up a ticker on its platform informing viewers that Zee shows will be removed from the DTH bouquets in the future, reportedly due to a tariff hike imposed by the broadcaster.
While the content was never actually taken down, sources said that Zee’s offerings will now remain in the bundles as the broadcaster backed down on its new pricing.
businessline reached out to Zee for a comment but did not receive a response up to the publishing of this article.
The price hikes by broadcasters follow the new reference interconnect offers issued by them in line with Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) New Tariff Order 3.0. The price increases were effected across several channel bouquets, irking DTH players who are already facing the heat of competition from internet-based platforms.
Revenue Down
Digital TV’s revenue was down 0.6 per cent annually in Q4 of FY25 at ₹764 crore with a customer base of 15.9 million. In its quarterly results, the company said it will continue to gain customer market share with simplified pricing structure, market specific strategy and differentiated converged offerings. Similarly, Tata Play 6 per cent decline in its revenue as per its standalone results.
The numbers are in line with TRAI data that showed a two per cent decline in the total active DTH subscriber base of around 56.92 million in March 2025. This is in addition to the subscribers of the DD Free Dish (free DTH services of Doordarshan).
While market experts attributed the reduced numbers to the low popularity in dish technology and the move towards OTT platforms, Ajimon Francis, Managing Director at Brand Finance India said that satcom’s entry may help new pockets for DTH players.
“One needs to wait and watch for satellite networks like Starlink to get activated. There are still some pockets in India and even high-rise houses in cities where towers don’t provide good coverage,” he said.