(23 May 2009 7:00 pm)

MUMBAI: Videocon will roll out its direct-to-home (DTH) service from Punjab and is targeting 10 June as the date of launch.

Being a late entrant, the consumer electronics major is following a different business model to tap into the rapidly growing DTH market. Videocon will have the set-top box in-built into its colour television sets, beginning from a price range of Rs 8000.

"We sell two million colour TV sets in a year. We will target this segment for our DTH business as well since the STB will be built into the TV set. We also expect to see a boost in our colour TV sales because of this," says Bharat Business Channel Ltd CEO Anil Khera.

Videocon will also have on offer a satellite DVD player, targeting another segment of customers. "This will be capable of receiving satellite signals. The price for this is Rs 4000. We will have a home theatre model as well," says Khera.

Videocon also offers a set-top box (STB) plan that is being priced at Rs 2000. "Our focus, though, will be in marketing our other two products. What will stand us apart from the other DTH operators is the fact that we will be manufacturing the TV sets, the DVDs and the STBs," says Khera.

Videocon plans to cover the entire northern region within a month of launch, before moving to the west and subsequently the southern belt. "We will be launching on 10 June. We will start from Punjab. We plan to be in Kerala before Onam and Kolkata before Dussehra," says Khera.

Bharat Business Channel Ltd (BBCL), the company that is housing Videocon's DTH venture, plans to pump in Rs 10 billion over two years as it readies to enter a turf that is seeing intense competition from existing players like Dish TV, Tata Sky, Sun Direct, Big TV and Airtel Digital TV.

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Videocon to launch DTH by October-end; plans to invest Rs 10 bn in 2 years