| MUMBAI:
Pay-TV income from DTH will outpace cable in broadcaster Sun TV Network's revenue
mix as it eyes a paying subscriber universe of 6.25 million for its channels by
March-end 2010. Sun
expects pay-TV revenue to scale up from Rs 2.15 billion in FY'09 to Rs 3.20 billion
this fiscal. "While income from cable should touch Rs 1.45 billion, DTH should
make up for the remaining amount," a source in the company says.
Income
from DTH stood at Rs 840 million for FY'09, with Rs 360 million coming from the
fiscal's fourth-quarter. Subscription income from cable TV, on the other hand,
was higher at Rs 1.31 billion. "Pay
revenue from DTH is still behind cable, but it is growing at a brisker pace. We
made Rs 840 million from DTH in a total pay-TV income of Rs 2.15 billion for FY'09,"
adds the source. Sun
TV had a paying subscriber base of 4.37 million from DTH by March-end 2009 for
its channels. "The ARPU is at Rs 26. Of the total DTH subscribers for our
channels, 60 per cent comes from Sun Direct," says the source. Sun Direct
is a direct-to-home company privately held by Sun TV promoter Kalanithi Maran
with Malaysia-based Astro as a 20 per cent equity partner. Sun
TV is expecting a 12-15 per cent growth in advertising revenue for FY'10. The
company posted a revenue of Rs 10.39 billion for the fiscal ended 31 March 2009,
an important milestone for a regional broadcaster. Income from operations for
the corresponding period of the previous year was Rs 8.70 billion, signifying
a 19.48 per cent year-on-year jump. | 
