Reliance ADAG plans Rs 100 cr ad splurge for DTH roll-out

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Reliance ADA Group, which is making debut in the Direct To Home services with Big TV, has lined up Rs 100 crore for advertising and promotional campaign to make an impact in this highly competitive segment.
According to industry sources, Big TV, which will roll out its first services in Mumbai this week followed by Delhi, has roped in Mudra Communications to handle advertising and campaign account. Big TV, which would simultaneously offer services in over 5,000 towns and cities across the country, is looking for a 360 degree high voltage campaign, the sources added.
Reliance ADAG officials could not be contacted for comments. To differentiate from existing players like Dish TV, TataSky and Sun Direct TV, Big TV is looking to leverage on ADAG's strength in gaming business to offer strong gaming applications besides interactive features around areas like cricket, news, Bollywood and music, the sources added.
The company is believed to have placed an order for five million set top boxes with leading Korean and Taiwanese vendors for requirements in the first year. Big TV had already completed trial runs across 2,400 towns and offering service to customers of other Reliance ADAG group firms for just Rs 1,000 with an estimated subscriber base of 40,000.
Reliance, however, is offering the service at Rs 325 per month, which includes Rs 100 worth free "pay per view"content, and hopes to make a dent in the customer base of existing players with aggressive pricing strategies, sources said. The company is deploying the MPEG4 technology compared to MPEG2 technology used by other DTH operators, which would enable Big TV to offer over 240 channels versus the 160 channels that can be offered on MPEG2 Platform