“I have not seen any issues coming out of that in the operations of the organisation. So, we are unfazed, and we are isolated from what is happening at that level because that is not for us to decide or to ponder about,” Dobhal told PTI.
Last week, shareholders of Dish TV rejected the proposal to appoint two independent directors to the board of direct-to-home service provider.
Dish TV investors have ousted more than 20 directors so far in the last three years over the demand for a special meeting. It has also been penalised by leading bourses NSE and BSE over its board strength several times.
When asked whether such a situation deters the management, Dobhal said: “We do not want to put a lot of focus and energy into something which is not in our hands… we are responsible for running the organisation. We are adept at that, and we keep ourselves isolated from what is happening around”.
He also appreciated the board and shareholders, who have allowed the management to operate freely and nicely, irrespective of what is happening at that end. Subhash Chandra‘s family-led promoter and promoter group holds a mere 4.04 per cent share in the company, and shareholders are seeking reconstitution of the board. Dish TV is currently going through a transformation and moving towards becoming a content distribution company, having a strong presence in direct-to-home (DTH) television and OTT space through its Watcho platform.
Currently, over 90 per cent of the topline of Dish TV comes from the DTH business, as the Watcho platform is at its nascent stage. However, it expects that subsidiary alliances will definitely increase the revenue numbers.
Dobhal also said, “DTH viewing and monetisation is going down but there is a hybrid ecosystem which is evolving at the same time”.
It is offering Super Family HSM a total of 201 channels aggressively at Rs 145 for TV, and at the same time, people are watching their content on the OTT platforms also.
“… although the pressure on the revenues would be there, but at the same time, we are building the parallel streams of revenue,” he added.
Over average revenue per user (ARPU), Dobhal said that keeping in mind customers from the rural, mid-economy segment or lower economy segments, it has not increased the prices with the increase in the content cost of Dish TV.
“We have tried to absorb as much of it as possible, otherwise, we would have taken 20-30 per rise,” he said.
“But, we are adding more layers of service to the customer. They can offer different services like Watcho, which is OTT.”
Currently, Dish TV has on its platform over 582 channels and services, along with 21 OTT apps.
As part of its endeavour to strengthen India’s content ecosystem, Dish TV launched Content India 2025 in partnership with UK-based C21Media.
This will address the need to strengthen India’s content ecosystem by fostering cross-border collaborations, encouraging innovation, and showcasing the country’s unmatched capabilities in production, post-production, and content creation.
Slated for April 1-3, 2025, the three-day summit will pave the way for the full-fledged Content India 2026 event.
It is modelled on globally successful formats of partner companies C21Media’s Content London and Content Americas. The event will combine a marketplace, conferences, and networking opportunities to bring together key stakeholders, including creators, producers, distributors, platforms, and channels.
