Doordarshan’s Free Dish gathers 30 million subscribers

Doordarshan’s Free Dish which, thanks to its bouquet of free-to-air channels, has mopped up some 30 million subscribers.

Dish TV’s plans come cheap at Rs 85 per month and viewers can also choose to pick up channels available a-la-carte. Of the country’s total cable and satellite (C&S) subscriber base of 183 million in 2017-18, DTH’s share including Doordarshan’s Free Dish, was around 72 million households or 40%, according to KPMG.

But with local digital cable services more affordable in many markets, the growth in DTH subscriber bases, which had already tapered off in 2017-18, could slow further. Cable services, industry watchers say, come for around `250-400 a month whereas even a no-frills DTH connection costs upwards of Rs 400 per month.