DTH, or direct-to-home service, is a type of digital satellite service that delivers direct television programs to a subscriber’s home regardless of where it is located in the country. Wireless technology allows different television programs to be sent straight from a satellite to a subscriber’s television via satellite signals. India’s pay-TV market is expected to grow at a 7% CAGR between 2020 and 2025 in terms of aggregate industry revenues. Here are the top-rated DTH TV providers in India.
DD FREE DISH | Doordarshan – Prasar Bharati
Description
Formerly known as FREE FISH or DD Direct+, Prasar Bharati has been providing DD Free Dish DTH since December 2004. All in India, a FREE DTH service is offered. This DTH is the best as it offers a free service. Better still, the bundle plan includes all the required channels plus news, regional networks, and a few of daily soap operas for no monthly price. In this case, all that’s needed to use the DTH service is to pay the initial FREE DISH setup cost.
Due to its abundance of free subscriptions and lowest set-top box price in the segment, DD FREE DISH is without a doubt the greatest DTH provider in India.
- Channels: 106
- SD Channels: 106
- HD Channels: 01
- Active users: More than 30 Million
Pros
- The full DD Free Dish system, which consists of the Set-top Box (STB), Remote, and dish antenna, is easily available for a reasonable price at the local market or online.
- Since the channels are sent directly via satellite, access to this service does not require a local cable provider.
- Only a Free to Air (FTA) type STB will be applicable to get this service; no other form of STB will be required.
Cons
- To watch the HD channel on DD Free Dish, you might require an MPEG-4/HD set-top box; if not, you’ll need an iCAS SD set-top box that has been certified by Doordarshan to receive encrypted TV channels, but it won’t support the HD channel.
Price Rs. 2799
Official Website: https://prasarbharati.gov.in/free-dish-4/
RELIANCE JIO DTH
Description
At present, the DTH provider with the most use is Reliance JIO DTH, which made its debut on December 27, 2015. The goal is to offer their clients superior services. The features and promos offered by the Jio DTH service from the Reliance Group are what make it the second-best DTH in India according to our ranking.
As everyone knows, Reliance usually makes a major splash in the market when it launches a new service or product with an Amazing OFFER. During this period, the company has launched a three-month free trial as part of the “Jio Welcome Offer” for new users of the service.
- Channels: 300+
- SD Channels: 100+
- HD Channels: 200+
- Active users: More than 20 Million
Pros
- Instead of requiring an antenna to receive the signals, all you need to utilise Jio DTH services is a broadband connection that comprises the router and set-top box. This sets Jio DTH services apart from other DTH services available on the market.
- As a consequence, you may watch TV and enjoy high-speed internet at up to 1000 MBps (gigabits per second) together with channels offering 4k HD streaming online. The service provider’s devices will also support HD-quality games.
Cons
- Data usage may be high, which can result in increased mobile data costs.
- Occasional buffering or lag during live TV streaming.
- Availability of channels may vary based on the plan subscribed.
Price: Rs 5499
Official Website: https://www.reliancedigital.in/jiobeam-set-top-box-blue/p/493071697
TATA PLAY (Formerly TATA SKY)
Description
Tata Play, formerly known as TATA Sky, has been recognised as the best DTH provider in 2019 and is one of the biggest DTH brands in India based on certain statistics. Tata Sky is among the best DTH service providers in the country and provides high-quality service. This business is the top DTH provider in India because of the variety of packages they offer, which often contain all major channels, the best HD (High Definition) choices with clear pictures, and decent audio. They are the ones that introduced personal video recorders and high definition initially. It is a joint venture between Tata Industries and 21st Century Fox, which is currently controlled by Walt Disney. Its low-cost plans and bundle deals have been drawing in a lot of new members.
- Channels: 652
- SD channels: 498
- HD channels: 91
- Active users: Over 22 million
Pros
- The company also declared that it will support Netflix, which is a huge relief for its clientele. Most popular video streaming providers are currently supported by the service, including Voot, Amazon Prime, Disney+ Hotstar, and others.
- Its impressive client base has been cultivated by being the first to provide the option of channel customisation in the form of user-tailored “choose and pay” packs and 4K set-top boxes.
- With its special features that allow you to pause recordings, rewind your Live TV screen, record remotely, and more, the Personal Video Recorder (PVR) has contributed to Tata Sky’s rise to prominence as India’s best DTH today.
Cons
- Free one-month trial of Amazon Prime. However, it’s unclear if it renews automatically.
- following a change from the Sony Liv app. It will request a password, but since no profile has been established, it is impossible to log in.
- There is no option to buy a Tata Play individual OTT subscription. Just a bundle. Netflix is also limited to a pricey selection of bundled channels.
- Not any coloured buttons that interact. Learning how to use the DTH service’s remote is a hassle. There are no buttons to change to the following day’s schedule. We are in serious need of a new remote. Alternatively, they may provide two. A single for DTH. additional one for Smart TVs.
Price: Rs 1149
Official Website: https://www.tataplay.com/
AIRTEL DIGITAL TV
Description
Bharti Airtel launched as Airtel Digital TV in October 2008. It is a well-known brand among DTH service providers. The pricing of this service varies since it allows for channel customisation based on the preferences of the consumer.
- Channels: 563
- SD channels: 428
- HD channels: 72
- Active users: Over 16.3 million
Pros
- Linked boxes may access Airtel Digital TV’s on-demand services, which provide a variety of films, TV series, and other content in many Indian languages and English.
- It has interactive features including a kid’s area, games, a darshan, and a music area.
- Among its many functions, the set-top box offers Dolby surround sound audio, high-quality movies, and video recording capabilities.
Cons
- The monthly rental is a bit pricey in comparison. It ought to be lowered by a small sum.
- There are just too many pointless channels on Airtel that we don’t need. Thus, the Airtel Group ought to get rid of these channels and swap them out for more significant and engaging ones.
- It would be beneficial to offer a few free-air channels so that users may view them if their accounts are suspended for insufficient funds.
Price: Rs 900
Official Website: https://www.airtel.in/dth/
DISH TV
Description
The Zed Group introduced Dish TV in October 2003. It is the parent company of Zing Digital, a local content telecasting brand, and D2H, which we shall look at in a moment. Currently, however, it is operated jointly by the Zed Group and the Videocon Group.
At the moment, Kerala, Odisha, and West Bengal provide the service. Leading the way in digital entertainment, Dish TV is the largest direct-to-home entertainment brand in Asia. Because of its innovative features and state-of-the-art services, Dish TV, a branch of Dish TV India Limited, has been recognised as India’s Most Trusted DTH Brand for four years running.
- Channels: 100+
- SD channels: Approx. 100
- HD channels: 15
- Participated Users: over 23 million
Pros
- The company’s large array of set-top boxes, which improve the streaming experience for viewers, including the DISH HD Plus with Recorder and Digital Set-Top-Box with Recorder, are also responsible for this rise.
Cons
- It requires satellite dish installation for DTH to work.
- The subscription fees apply to all the channels and it has a limited availability in remote areas.
Price: Rs 1100
Official website: https://www.dishtv.in/
d2h
Description
Known for its DTH services, Videocon d2h was the first company in its sector to launch a 4K Ultra HD channel in India. At the time, this was referred to as India’s best DTH.
Furthermore, d2h has been recognised with other distinguished honours in this domain, such as “India’s Best Brand 2014 by Economic Times” and “Asia’s Most Promising DTH Brand” in 2013, 2014, and 2015. Nevertheless, this company merged with the Dish TV DTH service in September 2018.
- Channels: 650
- SD channels: 326
- HD channels: 61
- Active users: Over 19 million
Pros
- A selection of the services offered by D2H to its customers includes Movies Active, Movies Active HD, Dance Active, Bhakti Active, Ibadat Active, Cooking Active, Music Active, and Evergreen Classic.
- A new set-top box called d2h Stream is available to upgrade your outdated TV to a smart one. D2h offers several varieties of these set-top boxes, such as Digital, Digital HD, and HD RF set-top boxes (which also come in a magic stick version).
Cons
- The remote layout’s mind-numbingly confusing button arrangement -The DVR warms up rather quickly; while the first few days were the worst, it is currently hot but not as hot as it was before.
- Many features are hard to understand without a handbook. Example: recording a series, modifying a list of favourites.
- As you navigate through the program guide, the channels switch without pausing to let you choose one.
Price: Rs 1299
Official Website: http://www.d2h.com/
SUN DIRECT
Description
In addition to many other continuing services, Sun Direct now offers 465 channels and services, to promote Regional Language Entertainment to Indian consumers. Sun Direct Operator is the first and best service provider to provide HD Counterpart.
- Channels: 180
- SD channels: 115
- HD channels: 63
- Active users: Over 16 million
Pros
- Sun Direct is a DTH service provider that caters mostly to the needs of the southern part of the county and offers a large selection of regional languages, including Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil, Kannada, and Telugu.
- Sun Direct offers two distinct set-top box types—Sun Direct SD+ and Sun Direct HD+—for streaming television in both standard and high definition.
Cons
- There aren’t any Doordarshan channels available. even though it is required. such as DD Jharkhand, DD Manipur, DD Mizoram, DD Hissar, DD Goa, DD Shimla, and so forth.
- Very few Assamese channels. Even DD Manipur and DD Mizoram were owned by the national government.
- All DPO Packs ought to have devotional channels; however, not all DPO Packs have Prarthana Channel accessible.
Price: Rs 1153
Official Website: https://www.sundirect.in/
DEN Network
Description
DEN Networks Limited is an Indian company that deals in cable television distribution. It is owned by Sameer Manchanda and was purchased by Reliance Industries in 2018 together with Hathway. It was one of the top three cable distributors in India in 2003, along with Hathway and InCablenet. The thirteen states that qualify for DEN Cable TV connections are Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, Kerala, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.
- Channels: 500+
- SD channels: 500
- HD channels: 45
- Active users: 25.5 million customers
Pros
- PQ and AQ are both outstanding.
- Elegant but uncomplicated user interface.
- All you need to do to use the recording feature, which is free, is place a Pendrive into the USB port (supports up to 1TB).
- PQ on most SD channels has also improved (sports excepted).
Cons
- Subsequently, there were frequent frame dropouts and visual freezing. The LCO said it was from the Den backend each time I phoned. It continued for a few days before substantially decreasing, although I’m still noticing unexpected frame and audio reductions.
- While PQ has marginally improved on most SD channels, the quality of the sports channels has declined. The athletes in football games are foggy and unappealing to view, while SD streams are just unwatchable.
Price: Rs 650
Official Website: https://dennetworks.com/
Conclusion
These Indian DTH firms face fierce rivalry from one another in every aspect of their business, from sales to marketing to after-sales support, in this age of intense competition. Due to the growing rivalry in the DTH industry, these DTH firms periodically create and alter the various packages they provide to accommodate customers’ needs and budgets. To select the best DTH brand, one must carefully examine and take into account a variety of factors before signing up for a DTH service, including image quality, package pricing, packages and plans, as well as additional value adds.
