Tata Sky bets on interactive advertising
The Economic Times — September 13, 2007

Interactive advertising is a new stream of revenue that direct-to-home (DTH) operators are now eyeing. DTH operator Tata Sky has made the first move in this direction by tying up with consumer electronics major, Samsung. The company is also in talks with several mutual funds and financial services firms to advertise through its interactive services.

"We are in talks with several mutual funds and financial services firms for advertising on our active features. It is particularly an interesting opportunity for marketers who want to do targeted marketing beyond the 30-second commercial," says Tata Sky VP, consumer marketing, Vikram Mehra. The DTH operator believes that 68 per cent of its consumer base belongs to the SEC A category and, therefore, represents consumers with high disposable income.

A DTH user can access advertising content by clicking on an active button and can then access the information brochure on TV. If she/he needs more information, the consumer can then text to customer care. Industry players believe that DTH interactive advertising may work out to be the cheapest way to reach out to a targeted set of consumers and is likely to generate more interest in the future.

Dish TV is also exploring its options. "We have had some preliminary talks with advertisers. But there is no doubt that once the DTH subscriber base reaches a critical mass, one would see this emerging as very important revenue stream," says Anjali Nanda, VP, marketing, Dish TV.

Tata Sky has also launched an interactive game quiz featured around Mahendra Singh Dhoni to coincide with the Twenty20 World Cup. In the past, the DTH operator has been test-piloting feature by running several contests around programmes and the interactive features were made available to its customers. For instance when the movie Dhoom was offered on its pay-per-view service, consumers were offered free goodies by participating in a contest.