Thread: Bad News: Price hike (Add-ons), Channels removed

Bad move by Sun Direct DTH, as they have removed all the Fox Channels from their base pack and put them in add-0n packs, and due to which the price of their add-on pack increases.

now all Sun Direct viewers will miss Fox Channels or else they have to go for costly add-on packs.

Very bad move by Sun Direct. Even they have removed Sakshi TV as well from their platform.

Ways Co. resort to procure money from helpless customers

@Thread starter
Thanks for the info but this is very bad move by the company
If this continues so,they are going to loose their customers very rapidly!
If this is how they think their company will gain profit then let me rectify that these are going to be unusual and uncertain profits!!

Its asusual for the companies to cheat their customers........
1/2 months after taking their connection they mention them as introductory offers and start removing 1 by 1 channel...and make them as paid channels.......
they simply cheat us.....but i dont know whether they are going to sustain or not..?

Originally Posted by srijith

Its asusual for the companies to cheat their customers........
1/2 months after taking their connection they mention them as introductory offers and start removing 1 by 1 channel...and make them as paid channels.......
they simply cheat us.....but i dont know whether they are going to sustain or not..?

True there is rarely a case where add-ons are included in base packs.

Originally Posted by neo001

Bad move by Sun Direct DTH, as they have removed all the Fox Channels from their base pack and put them in add-0n packs, and due to which the price of their add-on pack increases.

now all Sun Direct viewers will miss Fox Channels or else they have to go for costly add-on packs.

Very bad move by Sun Direct. Even they have removed Sakshi TV as well from their platform.

thats why my cable TV wala rocks... 240 rs per month and ALL channels and gud clarity too..n hence i dropped the idea of getting DTH

yeh I suppose thats a good thing about having cable!

Dth is overtaking cable and with facilities like value added service, latest movies, recording and HD it does offer many advantage over cable.

Originally Posted by alokmis

Dth is overtaking cable and with facilities like value added service, latest movies, recording and HD it does offer many advantage over cable.

Umm. Not exactly.

1. Value added services: agreed that DTH provides many services but how many are actually useful? How many use them at least 30 mins per day?

2. Latest movies: Cable also shows latest movies - sometimes pirated. Once again, how many people order movie on demand? I would speculate it to less than 5%.

3. HD: HD will come to cable as well. Maybe a little later but it will. Once again, is there really a market for high priced HD?

One thing I recently realized about DTH movie no demand is that, they are showcasing movies which are being shown on television, so who would purchase those movies for a cost of Rs75/Rs50?

This was seen on Tata Sky, I am unaware of what other DTH providers are showing on their movie showcase!

That is the case with every DTH. They are showing movies that are available on standard channels. Maybe movie will be released on MOD, one or two weeks earlier; but if one waits the movie will be available for free.

I have so far (3 years with DTH), ordered movie once only.

Originally Posted by just4kix

Umm. Not exactly.

1. Value added services: agreed that DTH provides many services but how many are actually useful? How many use them at least 30 mins per day?

2. Latest movies: Cable also shows latest movies - sometimes pirated. Once again, how many people order movie on demand? I would speculate it to less than 5%.

3. HD: HD will come to cable as well. Maybe a little later but it will. Once again, is there really a market for high priced HD?

Some of the findings of expected growth: DTH subscribers touted at 40 mn by 2012

Originally Posted by alokmis

Dth is overtaking cable and with facilities like value added service, latest movies, recording and HD it does offer many advantage over cable.

Originally Posted by just4kix

Umm. Not exactly.

1. Value added services: agreed that DTH provides many services but how many are actually useful? How many use them at least 30 mins per day?

2. Latest movies: Cable also shows latest movies - sometimes pirated. Once again, how many people order movie on demand? I would speculate it to less than 5%.

3. HD: HD will come to cable as well. Maybe a little later but it will. Once again, is there really a market for high priced HD?

Originally Posted by alokmis

Some of the findings of expected growth: DTH subscribers touted at 40 mn by 2012

Read that article. OK. This is the job of an analyst. Analysts also predicted (in Dec, 2007) that Sensex will soon touch 30,000. These things do not mean anything.

But that is completely besides the point.

I was replying to your observation that DTH will grow because of value added services, latest movies, etc. This is not true.

DTH will grow more than cable definitely. But not because of the reasons you mentioned. Cable will lag behind because cable TV wallas have no transparency of operations. DTH gives control into the hands of the subscriber (at least some).

Good point transparency of operations builds confidence in customers.

I would want the DTH players to make all the channels available individually, so that I can select what I want, obiviously with all the free channels.

Originally Posted by karthick

I would want the DTH players to make all the channels available individually, so that I can select what I want, obiviously with all the free channels.

This would eliminate competition and no efforts would have been made by DTH in promoting its brand package & pricing are the basis on which brands compete. The idea of choosing channels individually is exactly favorable from customers point of view but the industry pays a huge amount for all the channels it acquires and if a customer only chooses one or two channel it will not be beneficial to the Co. for bringing in average revenue per user.

Originally Posted by alokmis

This would eliminate competition and no efforts would have been made by DTH in promoting its brand package & pricing are the basis on which brands compete. The idea of choosing channels individually is exactly favorable from customers point of view but the industry pays a huge amount for all the channels it acquires and if a customer only chooses one or two channel it will not be beneficial to the Co. for bringing in average revenue per user.

I agree....

Then they can keep some unique channels like VH1 to alacarte, as this channle is only available in Jumbo pack which is Rs. 300...

In Tata Sky VH1 is under South Saver Pack which comes for Rs. 260/- monthly in Dish TV it comes under Platinum pack which comes for Rs. Rs.325/- per month.

Originally Posted by karthick

I agree....

Then they can keep some unique channels like VH1 to alacarte, as this channle is only available in Jumbo pack which is Rs. 300...

Well Just for your info Jumbo pack in Sun direct is also an add-on pack only and before subscribing to this pack you must to take a Base pack. Jumbo pack is not their base pack. So Rs.300 for add-on pack

The only problem with Sun direct is they are forcing ppl to spend money and money on packages for example they have splitted the channels into many many addons so first i have to pay for a useless base package then i see that my fav channels are present in different add ons. So one fav channel is in a addon package and another is on another so i have to buy both addons which actually costs me much.

Originally Posted by jagan2

The only problem with Sun direct is they are forcing ppl to spend money and money on packages for example they have splitted the channels into many many addons so first i have to pay for a useless base package then i see that my fav channels are present in different add ons. So one fav channel is in a addon package and another is on another so i have to buy both addons which actually costs me much.

Absolutely, As almost all the important channels are available in ala-carte and add-on packs and even those ala-carte will cost very high.

Like They have one add-on Pack called Jumbo pack which cost Rs.300 and still missing few important channels like sports, and if you see in most other DTH you will get Highest pack with all channels in the same amount.

Agreed !! I have been using Sun Direct DTH from past 8 Months... The Add On Packages which they have really suck... I have been cheated in my addon package balance too... They say i have Rs.110 Validity in my account... the next time when i call customer care to activate channel like Star Sports or ESPN they say u dont have any Balance..!! Devastating isnt it ?? !! Im now planning to shift to Tata Sky + or Reliance Big TV

And one more thing, i don't know if its applicable on other dth providers also but in Tatasky when you get a best offered package be sure stick with it that is once you have subscribed to a package of channel then those channel will be available to you forever no matter they change their package or move channel to other package. But if you change your package just once then you will have channels as per the package.

Like iam subscribed to a package from starting it had 2 channels extra but now its shifted to another package but iam still receiveing that channel.

Also i did a mistake earlier tensports was just for rs 15 and if i had continued to that then i would have been able to enjoy it for 15rs forever but unscribed once and now its 20

cable TV wala rocks..all channels @ 240 Rs + crystal clear clarity.

Well Sun removing Fox channels and introducing new channels is not mentioned in your post . AS far as i understand the sun group definately shows channels wit good TRP rating in thier basic platform rest go into the Add ons . FOX was running for one whole year and i didnt even view one program or movie in it so whats the fuss of it getting removed . In case fox had some good content and the TRP would have been good then definately no DTH operator would remove it from thier platform . Well Fox is now available in airtel and Dish that doesnt mean we will switch to buying them . rather spend a little extra and watch it in Sun itself if the content of these channels improove .

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- just4kix