Why is Tata Sky bundling OTT and promoting its Binge+ set-top box?

Anurag Kumar, chief communications officer, Tata Sky, talks about the box, the campaign and the target audience.

Every year, during the Indian Premier League (IPL) broadcast, Tata Sky tends to catch the eye with its commercials. This year, the direct-to-home (DTH) giant is promoting Tata Sky Binge+ set-top box (STB) with an Ogilvy-created ad that communicates about seamless toggling between television and video-on-demand (VOD) content. The ad ends with, 'Isko Laga Dala Toh Puri Family Jingalala.' 

According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), Tata Sky has an active subscriber base of 22 million. Gone are the days when the set-top box was used just to get access to TV channels. With Reliance Jio and its giga fiber promises, all the DTH players now have over-the-top (OTT) video streaming services bundled as a value-added service with the television connection. 

Tata Sky's Binge+ set-top box is available in the market for Rs 2,999. The company defines it as a feature-packed box. 

By paying Rs 299 per month, Binge+ set-top box users can get access to Disney+ Hotstar Premium, Zee5, Voot Select, Voot Kids, Eros Now, Hungama Play, Sun Nxt, and ShemarooMe. By paying an additional Rs 129 per month, users can get access to Amazon Prime Video too. Not just subscription, the box aggregates the content in one interface, which means that the users don't have to log in to each app separately. 

But, who is the box for and is Tata Sky moving away from its core offering, which is live television? Anurag Kumar, chief communications officer, Tata Sky, talks about the box, the campaign and the target audience.

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