Advanced Television

India’s NDTV abandons FTA

August 15, 2018

By Chris Forrester

NDTV India is to switch from free-to-air transmission to a pay-TV model.

NDTV is a Hindi-language news channel owned by New Delhi Television Ltd, and launched in 2003. Initially, in 1988, the channel’s backers (Prannoy Roy and his wife Radhika Roy) supplied a weekly news programme for India’s public broadcaster Doordarshan. This matured into a full-time service for Star News. In 2003 NDTV launched both stand-alone English and Hindi-based services.

NDTV says it will go ‘pay’ on September 15th, and charge Rupees 0.85 (about $0.012) to MSO’s carrying the channel.

The decision means that all 4 of NDTV’s channels are now pay-TV based (NDTV 24 x 7 English, NDTV India, NDTV Good Times, NDTV Prime).

Categories: Articles, Broadcast, FTA, Pay TV