DTH licence fee collections dip from ₹692 crore to ₹658 crore in 2024: MIB report

Licence fee collections from Direct-to-Home (DTH) television operators moderated in 2024–25, reflecting pressure on the satellite television segment amid subscriber churn and intensifying competition from digital platforms, according to data released by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB).

During the calendar year 2024 (January 1 to December 31, 2024), all DTH operators together deposited ₹658.01 crore towards licence fees through the government’s Bharatkosh portal. In addition, licence fee payments for Quarter 3 of FY25, deposited by January 31, 2025, are estimated at ₹150–170 crore, indicating that total collections for the financial year are likely to edge higher once all quarterly payments are accounted for.

This compares with ₹691.96 crore collected during FY 2023–24, when DTH operators made licence fee payments on a full financial-year basis. The data point to a year-on-year decline of about 5% in base licence fee collections when comparing FY24 with calendar-year 2024 receipts, even before adjusting for timing differences in quarterly payments.

It should be noted that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) in its recent recommendation suggested to reduce the license fee for Direct-to-Home (DTH) operators from 8% to 3% of Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR), with a phased plan to eliminate it entirely by FY 2026–27.

Experts note that the comparison is not strictly like-for-like, as the 2024 figure is reported on a calendar-year basis, while the FY24 figure reflects a full financial year. Even so, the trend suggests a softening of DTH revenue accruals to the exchequer, mirroring the broader contraction in the traditional pay-TV segment.

Under current policy guidelines notified in September 2022, DTH operators are required to pay 8% of Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR)—defined as gross revenue net of GST—towards licence fees on a quarterly basis. The rules also mandate minimum annual payments linked to entry fees, along with additional charges for platform service (PS) channels and infrastructure sharing, creating a predictable but revenue-sensitive stream for the government.

Industry executives attribute the moderation in licence fee payments to declining subscriber bases, tariff resets following the New Tariff Order (NTO), and sustained migration of viewers to OTT platforms. The number of private DTH operators has remained unchanged at four, following mergers and insolvency proceedings in the sector, limiting the scope for volume-led growth in government fee collections.

Despite the dip, DTH continues to remain a significant contributor to broadcasting revenues, particularly when compared with newer carriage platforms. The Ministry has sought to streamline compliance and collections through digitisation, with licence fee payments routed entirely through Bharatkosh and regulatory filings processed via the Broadcast Seva portal, improving transparency and reducing delays.

The coming quarters will be closely watched to see whether the estimated Q3 FY25 collections narrow the gap with FY24 levels or confirm a structural slowdown in DTH-linked government revenues amid the rapid transformation of India’s television distribution market.