With the rise of DTH connections in India, there’s no doubt that recharging your DTH pack has become a regular transaction if you’re a DTH user, be it purchasing channels or extending your subscription.

There’s no doubt that the best DTH providers in India, Airtel Digital TV, Tata Sky, DishTV and Videocon D2h provide channel packs that offer good value for money. Moreover, TRAI’s latest regulations focus on providing consumers with the best plans at minimal costs.

Basically, the authorities have implemented a fair pricing approach, allowing users to pay just for the channels they wish to view. Obviously, this has affected DTH plans, with rates for specific channels accessible.

However, with a plethora of options, it might be difficult to choose the best DTH pack in India. So, in this blog, we will discuss multiple factors that you should consider while choosing a DTH pack that is right for you.

Factors To Consider While Choosing The Best DTH Packs

1. Types of DTH Packs

There are multiple factors to consider, including the cost, number of channels and languages provided in the pack. However, before we delve into these, it’s important to first understand the different types of packs.

Base Pack

All DTH operators are required to supply a basic pack with a minimum of 100 non-HD, free-to-air channels under the new laws. This pack’s price cap is INR 130 (tax plus), although the channels included might vary.

Even the costs of these packs might be reduced; Airtel, for example, provides a base package for Rs. 99. (plus taxes).

Furthermore, with the intention of attracting more customers, some networks may provide additional channels in their base packages. For example, Hathway charges INR 100 per month for their ‘Basic Service Tier’ bundle, which includes 129 SD channels.

Pay & Bouquet Channel Packs

Together with the free-to-air channels, there are also pay and bouquet channels available. Pay channels are separate paid channels, whilst bouquets would be a discounted combination of these channels differentiated by genre/language.

You may include these channels in the base package; however, keep in mind that a bouquet of 9 channels will be less expensive than purchasing the same channels separately.

2. Consider The Display Resolution

There’s no doubt that HD channels are more expensive than SD channels. However, the clarity and high-quality experience are usually worth the extra cost.

Regardless, this is an important factor to consider while choosing a channel pack from the best DTH service in India. For example, if you don’t have a television that supports HD channels, there’s no use in subscribing to them.

3. Select The Right Channels

Once you have chosen the type of pack you want, it’s important to choose only those paid channels that you actually watch, as your monthly price depends on it.

For example, Sony and Star channels are usually more expensive than Zee channels. So, carefully examine the packs/prices and select just those channels for which you are willing to pay.

Consider TRAI’s Recommended Packs

To help you choose the best DTH pack in India, TRAI has recommended certain packs based on your preferences, for which the prices are capped. This ensures that you don’t need to spend too much on non-FTA channels.

The Sports Pack

If you wish to select all SD sports channels that come under the ala carte model, the highest price you need to pay is Rs 331,(Including Network Capacity Fee plus GST).

If you choose all ten HD sports channels in India, the total cost would be Rs 349, which includes the Network Capacity Fee plus GST.

The Entertainment Pack

If you simply want to watch the 15 SD Hindi General Entertainment Channels (GEC), you’ll just have to spend Rs 493, which includes the Network Capacity Fee with GST. You would have to spend Rs 313 for 8 HD Hindi channels.

If you choose all 5 English GEC channels, the total cost would be Rs 203, along with the Network Capacity Fee plus GST. The fee for the 7 HD channels will be Rs 241.

If you select all English as well as Hindi SD GEC channels, the overall value would be Rs 347, which includes the Network Capacity Fee plus GST. You would have to pay Rs 401 for HD channels of the very same.

The Music Pack

If you select all of the Hindi and English music channels offered, you will spend a total of Rs 160, which includes the Network Capacity Fee plus GST.

The HD channels of the same would cost you at least Rs 165, along with the Network Capacity Fee plus GST.

The Movie Pack

You would have to spend Rs 240 across all 15 Hindi SD movie channels, which includes the Network Capacity Fee plus GST.

The cost of the HD channels rises to Rs 258, along with the Network Capacity Fee plus GST.

The overall cost across all English SD movie channels is Rs 236, along with the Network Capacity Fee plus GST.

It costs Rs 338 for the HD version of the same, along with the Network Capacity Fee plus GST.

The Lifestyle Pack

It costs Rs 160 to subscribe to all 3 English as well as Hindi SD lifestyle channels on the app. It would cost Rs 166 for the HD editions of the same.

The News Pack

You would have to spend Rs 231 for all 24 Hindi SD news stations, which includes the Network Capacity Fee plus GST.

The total cost of all ten English SD news stations is Rs 187, which includes the Network Capacity Fee plus GST.

You would have to spend Rs 174 for the three HD versions of Hindi and English news channels, adding the Network Capacity Fee plus GST.

The Kids Pack

If you would like to get all of the Hindi and English cartoon channels for children, you would have to pay around Rs 206.

There are just three HD kids channels available, and they cost Rs 179.

The Education Pack

You would have to spend Rs 181 across all 15 Hindi plus English SD educational channels, along with the Network Capacity Fee plus GST.

The cost of the HD channels rises to Rs 220, along with the Network Capacity Fee plus GST.

The Diverse Pack

You may incur a larger cost if you purchase a family pack plan that includes numerous sports, children, GEC, music, and films channels through the a la carte choice. A typical selection of 30 subscription channels plus 37 free channels, along with a good range of sports, entertainment, films, lifestyles, education, and news channels, costs around Rs 325.

When we looked through all the broadcaster’s channel bundles, on the other side, we wound up with 57 paid channels plus 25 free channels, with a variety of intriguing channel combinations. What is the cost of all of this? Just Rs 295, which is far less expensive than the a la carte option’s selection. As a result, if you want to save money on your TV bills, bouquet bundles from broadcasters may be the best way to go.

The rates shown here are based on information provided by TRAI to its Channel Selector app. It is just as reliable as TRAI data on DTH plans.

How TRAI’s Latest Rules Impact The Cost of Channel Packs

It has been quite some time since TRAI developed and instructed DTH service providers and cable operators to follow the new laws. The new laws were designed to guarantee that all parties in the DTH and cable TV ecosystems had a fair share of power and revenue. The instant benefit of the new restrictions is that viewers now have greater control over what they see and spend for.

On the customer side, TRAI stated that the new restrictions would result in overall reduced pricing, particularly for a la carte bundles. However, there was no indication of how it would help customers. As a result, TRAI developed a new tool that could predict the anticipated total bill that one would experience after February 1, 2019.

The application is known as Channel Selector App, and it is free to be used on the Internet. If customers choose the a la carte option, the application can provide them with a preliminary estimate of their price.

Nevertheless, if you choose the a la carte method, you may receive a ballpark estimate of your TV bill based on TRAI’s statistics for the Channel Selector app. We calculated the potential costs in bills that you may face as a TV consumer depending on the app.

Conclusion

As most DTH packs are monthly or half-yearly, it’s important to find a plan that doesn’t cost too much money, while ensuring you’re able to watch all your favourite channels!

For more information on the best SD and HD DTH service in India, keep reading Selectra.