The Hindu : Business : Reliance Big TV launches new interactive feature

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Reliance Big TV launches new interactive feature

Special Correspondent

Focus on unique value added services
To reach 3 million subscribers by end of the year

— PHOTO: PAUL NORONHA

PORTFOLIO TRACKING: Mahesh Prasad (left), President, Reliance Communications, with Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Managing Director, Reliance Money, at a press conference in Mumbai on Thursday.

MUMBAI: Reliance Big TV today on Thursday its new interactive feature, iStock, the country’s first portfolio tracking application through its DTH platform. The application is launched in association with Reliance Money which created a unique iStock zone on Reliance Big TV’s DTH platform.

The zone will not only provide information on Indian and international indices, currencies, commodities, stocks and stock market news, but also provide Reliance Big TV customers with value added services including a personal portfolio management tracker.

Speaking at a press conference here, Reliance Communications President Mahesh Prasad said, “we would like for people to be able to trade from their living rooms. However, that will happen provided the regulatory body or the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) allows trading on the DTH platform. This will be followed by a chat facility and then allowing people to address customers. But, that will take time.”

The iStock feature is part of Reliance Big TV’s increasing focus to build its DTH VAS portfolio. The company plans to drive growth and broaden its customer base by a focussed approach on providing unique and benchmarking value added services.

Big TV is now close to breaching the two-million subscriber base, having started its service only ten months ago in August last. “Our goal is to reach three million subscribers by the end of this year,” said Mr. Prasad.

The company’s subscriber base uses its various interactive features like iGames, iCooking, iNews, iAstro and iSports.

Though offered as a free service, as part of its long term strategy, the company may decide to monetise its interactive applications through targeted revenue modules.

Mr. Prasad said that of the 130 million television households in India, around 70 million were either cable or DTH homes with cable homes at around 50 million and DTH homes at around 20 million. “So around 50-60 million homes have no connectivity to cable or DTH at all. This is a big opportunity for Big TV as we have a pan-India presence in 6,500 towns and over one lakh retailers.”

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