Cable, DTH players bet on IPTV to stem cord-cutting losses

India's traditional TV distributors, cable, and direct-to-home (DTH) companies are turning to Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) to fight cord-cutting, which has eroded the pay-TV base by nearly 30 million subscribers since the pandemic.

Bharti Telemedia and Hinduja Global Solutions' NxtDigital are seeing early momentum for IPTV, a service that blends linear television with OTT delivery.

Urban audiences are increasingly gravitating towards OTT platforms, attracted by the breadth of differentiated content compared to linear TV, and the convenience of anytime, anywhere viewing, media experts said.


Airtel's DTH arm lost 200,000 subscribers in the first quarter, but part of that decline was offset by gains from IPTV service, which it launched in 2,000 cities earlier this year.

Hinduja said it is converting cord-cutters into broadband customers, offering them the same TV experience via IPTV.

Distributors are also betting on OTT aggregation to keep customers within their ecosystem.

Bharti Airtel's vice chairman and managing director Gopal Vittal said its DTH customer loss was partly due to "structural changes that we initiated to eliminate subsidies on the set-top box." The move would strengthen cash flows in the long run, he told analysts at the company's Q1 earnings call this month, noting that its rivals have also reduced the box subsidies.

"Our IPTV is seeing strong acceptance from customers, as it delivers a better experience and convenience, combined with a very, very solid and expensive content slate," Vittal said.

Hinduja Global Solutions' media business NxtDigital reported a pre-tax loss of '38.8 crore for the first quarter ended June, compared to a loss of '37.4 crore a year earlier. Its digital media arm serves more than six million customers with broadband, headend-in-the-sky (HITS), and cable TV services.

The company has rolled out its ONEiPTV service in key cities, bundling broadband with access to more than 25 OTT platforms and an IPTV bouquet of over 600 channels.

"We are converting customers who might otherwise cut the cord into online broadband users, providing them with a television experience via IPTV comparable to what they had on our HITS or cable TV," Vynsley Fernandes, whole-time director and CEO of NxtDigital Media Businesses, said at its earnings call on August 8. "We are actively promoting this shift, and we anticipate seeing increased traction this quarter and beyond."

He noted that India's current wired broadband subscriber base of about 40 million is likely to more than double in the next three to five years, with the wired and wireless home internet market projected to hit $16.5 billion over the same period.

According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's performance indicator report for FY25, nine IPTV operators are active in the country: Andhra Pradesh State Fibernet (APSFL), Bharti Airtel, Fastway Transmission, City Online Media, E2 Info Solutions, Wi-bro Solutions, V K Digital Network, Meghbela Cable & Broadband Service, and Hathway Digital.