DTH players enter CTV, bet on FAST & broadcaster partnerships for next phase of TV

India’s television distribution landscape is beginning to see a significant shift as traditional DTH operators move beyond satellite-based distribution and enter the fast-growing connected TV (CTV) and Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television (FAST) ecosystem, with broadcasters increasingly emerging as key content partners.

DTH companies that once competed primarily on channel packs, pricing and satellite reach are now positioning themselves to control a much larger part of the connected television experience, from content discovery and aggregation to audience access and potentially advertising.  

The latest development comes as Vzy announced the launch of Linear TV Streaming (LTS), bringing more than 200 live television channels together with 29+ OTT platforms and free content on a single application. 

The platform has onboarded channels from major broadcasters including JioStar, Sony Pictures Networks India, Warner Bros Discovery India and Zee Entertainment, creating a proposition that combines linear television, OTT and free entertainment in one digital destination.

The development is significant because Vzy is backed by the wider Dish TV ecosystem, underlining how DTH companies are increasingly looking at internet-connected television as an extension of their traditional distribution businesses. 

Dish TV India CEO and Executive Director Manoj Dobhal described the proposition as part of Vzy’s effort to create a unified entertainment destination, bringing together live TV, OTT and free content as connected TV becomes a more important part of Indian households’ entertainment consumption.

Sun Direct and Tata Play, too, are entering the connected TV space, according to sources close to the development, pointing to a broader movement among DTH operators towards internet-enabled television distribution.

For Tata Play and Sun Direct, a CTV proposition could integrate linear TV, OTT and other internet-based entertainment into a more integrated viewing experience, giving consumers greater flexibility in how they access content. 

It could also allow the company to leverage its existing subscriber relationships while opening up new opportunities in digital content aggregation, audience engagement and advertising as CTV consumption grows.  

Tata Play declined to comment on the development. 

From satellite distribution to internet television

For DTH operators, the move into CTV and FAST represents a potentially important evolution of their role in the television ecosystem.

For decades, DTH companies have primarily functioned as distribution intermediaries, delivering linear television channels to households through satellite networks. 

Connected TVs change that equation. Once television sets are connected to the internet, the same screen can receive content through traditional distribution networks as well as applications, OTT services, FAST platforms and other internet-based channels.

This means DTH companies can increasingly position themselves not merely as distributors of television channels, but as aggregators of entertainment across multiple formats.

Vzy’s LTS proposition reflects that direction. Instead of separating linear television and streaming into different viewing environments, the platform combines live channels with OTT and free content. The result is an attempt to make the connected TV interface itself a central destination for television consumption.

Broadcasters become content partners in the CTV push

The participation of major broadcasters is critical to the emerging model because the value of an aggregation platform ultimately depends on the breadth and relevance of its content.

JioStar CEO, Entertainment, Kevin Vaz said the company sees an opportunity to combine the scale and familiarity of linear television with the convenience of streaming. He said Vzy would help expand the footprint of JioStar’s content portfolio as television becomes increasingly screen-agnostic.

Sony Pictures Networks India Managing Director and CEO Gaurav Banerjee similarly said audiences are increasingly moving between linear television and streaming depending on content, screen and viewing occasion. According to Banerjee, Vzy’s integrated proposition provides greater choice and convenience in the connected-TV environment.

For broadcasters, partnerships with CTV aggregators can provide another route to audiences at a time when television consumption is becoming increasingly fragmented across DTH, cable, OTT platforms, smart TVs and other digital screens.

For DTH operators, meanwhile, broadcaster partnerships provide the content depth required to make their CTV propositions competitive.

FAST is only one part of the opportunity

The development also comes against a wider industry debate over how FAST itself should be defined.

The India CTV & FAST Council (ICFC), an independent industry body comprising broadcasters, FAST and CTV platforms, channel owners, advertisers, agencies and other ecosystem participants, has been discussing whether the term FAST should be broadened as the market evolves.

Traditionally, FAST refers to free, ad-supported linear television channels delivered over internet-connected devices. But the CTV environment is increasingly accommodating a wider range of services, including free-to-air channels, subscription services, OTT platforms and hybrid models.

That distinction matters for DTH operators.

A company such as Dish TV can potentially use its existing understanding of television audiences and content distribution while adding internet-based services to the consumer proposition. Rather than replacing traditional television overnight, the emerging model effectively combines the two.

The same applies to broadcasters. Their channels can continue to be distributed through conventional television networks while also becoming available through internet-connected environments.

The race could increasingly become a race for content

As more DTH and CTV players enter the market, content aggregation could become a key competitive factor.

FAST platforms are already seeking more free-to-air channels because a larger and more diverse channel portfolio can increase viewing opportunities and advertising inventory. The same principle applies to broader CTV aggregation platforms.

For broadcasters, CTV distribution offers an additional route to audiences. For platforms, broadcaster partnerships provide recognisable programming that can drive discovery and viewing.

This creates a two-sided opportunity: DTH operators can broaden their distribution footprint beyond the satellite ecosystem, while broadcasters can expand the number of environments in which their content is available.

The development could therefore gradually transform the relationship between distributors and broadcasters. Instead of a model centred almost entirely on delivering channels through a defined distribution network, the relationship could increasingly revolve around content aggregation, applications, audience access and digital distribution.

A larger challenge to the traditional distribution architecture

The shift also raises a larger question for India's television industry.

If a consumer can watch the same broadcaster’s channel through DTH, a CTV application, a FAST platform or an OTT service, the distinction between traditional television distribution and internet distribution becomes less visible to the viewer.

The ICFC discussions have highlighted precisely this issue. As smart TV adoption, broadband connectivity and changing viewing behaviour accelerate, television distribution is increasingly moving into an environment where different types of services can coexist on the same connected screen.

This could eventually put pressure on an industry architecture historically built around broadcasters, distribution platforms and households.

For DTH companies, however, the immediate strategy appears less about abandoning traditional television and more about extending their relevance into the connected-TV era.

Vzy’s positioning around live TV, OTT and free content illustrates this hybrid approach. As Manoj Dobhal said, the objective is to provide consumers with a simpler and more flexible way to access entertainment as connected TV becomes a more important part of the home.

Sun Direct and Tata Play’s entry into CTV suggests the trend could extend beyond handful of operators. 

The next phase, therefore, may not be about DTH versus OTT or FAST versus linear television. Instead, the emerging battleground could be the connected television itself, with DTH operators, broadcasters, OTT platforms and FAST players competing—and increasingly partnering—to control how audiences discover and consume content on the internet-connected TV screen.

For broadcasters, that makes DTH-led CTV platforms another distribution opportunity. For DTH operators, it represents a route to remain relevant as the traditional television screen evolves into an internet endpoint.