BEYOND TELEVISION

WITH TWIN ATTACKS COMING FROM FREE DISH AND OTT, WILL MARKET LEADER TATA PL AY BE ABLE TO SURVIVE ON THE BACK OF ITS REFORMED IDENTITY?

- PRERNA LIDHOO

IN A FAST-CHANGING digital-first world, even nostalgia has a shorter time frame. It was only a few years ago that Indians had started warming up to the idea of giving up on the age-old and unreliable cable TV connections and terrestrial TV that came with a cumbersome antenna setup, in favour of direct-to home (DTH) satellite TV service. In 2006, when Tata Sky launched its DTH service, the company had a clear motive: give Indians a taste of premium viewing with services such as 24x7 customer support, digital video recording (DVR), high-definition picture quality, etc. Today, at least for a few, even pay TV is fast becoming nostalgia because of the onslaught of OTT and a looming bugbear called DD Free Dish.