Market Research on DTH Service in

Indian Market
Market Research Problem:
DTH usage in India is on the rise. Well-known companies like TATA SKY, VIDEOCON,
AIRTEL, and RELIANCE are competing each other for the market share. Customers now not
only have the option to go various subscription packages but can also opt for HD/non HD
channel quality. The market research problem is to analyze the consumer buying preference
among various DTH services focusing on the subscription packs and the quality of channels.

Research objective:
The broad objective of this market research is to carry out primary and secondary research and
analysis in the following areas:
1. To study the consumer behavior and the factors affecting the selection of a particular
DTH provider
2. To gain insights on the reason for the selection of the subscription channel packs
3. To know the driving factors behind selection/non selection of the HD channels
The main objective of the research is to identify the consumer behavior while opting for a
particular DTH service. The research will lead to identifying the variables that are linked to the
purchase decision of the customers. This will also put light on the factors people consider while
selecting one service provider over other. The research would also help us identify on what basis
people select the subscription pack and what are the main factors they look into while selecting a
particular package. Also what is their views about the HD channels in their television viewing
experience.

Hypothesis to be tested:
1. H0: Subscription of HD channel is not related to demography of the people(age, income,
education level)
H1: Subscription of HD channel is directly related to demography of the people
2. H0: Subscription of DTH service provider is directly proportional to brand awareness
H1: Subscription of DTH service provider is not proportional to brand awareness
3. H0: Subscription of package is inversely correlated to cost
H1: Subscription of package is not correlated to cost
4. H0: Subscription of package is correlated to no of channel
H1: Subscription of package is not related to no of channel

Research Design Methodologies:

Conducting initial Exploratory Research using in-depth interviews and focused group
discussions to gain more insight and to find out the variables to consider in the research.
Focused Group Discussion: A focused group discussion was conducted on this subject which
included 9 members. The members varied in age group from 22-28 years and were from
metropolitan as well as tier 2 cities. The members include a mix of people who subscribed to
various DTH as well as cable operators. The GD was a driven by a single moderator. It was in
an unstructured form with the moderator giving direction to the discussion whenever it went off
track.
From the focused group we found out that people consider not one but many factors before
taking the decision of selecting the DTH operators. Firstly it was established that the reason to
shift from local cable operators to direct to home service had motivation factors like better
quality and reliability of service, Government rule to make set top box compulsory and
customized channel offerings being some of them. The decision for the selection of service
providers varied widely on variables like

Cost/Charges of packages
Installation charges and ease of shifting
Quality of reception
Number of customized packages offered
Discounts offered
Additional features like plug and play
Customer care availability
Localized language offerings
Reviews of users
Shopkeepers suggestions

Through the FGD we also found out various problems faced by the current users of DTH
services. Certain prominent variables discussed were Signal problem in bad weather, Recharge
card replacement issue and bad customer service.
In depth Interview:
In depth interviews were also conducted. Interviews were conducted with people who use DTH
service, cable service as well as the DTH retailers. Through the in depth interviews it was
observed that the people who opted for one service were generally loyal to the brand. They
majorly opted for HD channels as trial option and later continued it only if it had the channels
they wanted. People whom we interviewed also considered after sales service also a deciding
factor for repeat purchase(One of the interviewee opted for different services when he bought

second TV due to bad after sales experience from the prior). From the interview with
shopkeeper/retailer it was found that people considered initial installation charges as an
important variable. The retailers also mentioned that people buying the service and packages
were generally influenced by them.
Conducting conclusive research using the surveys, observation and analysis of secondary data
using quantitative tools. Members of group S1 will conduct surveys in and around Manipal using
the questionnaire formed based on the variables identified through preliminary research. We will
also be sending online questionnaire to survey people in Mumbai, Delhi, Pune etc. Secondary
data analysis will be done using quantitative tools using online resources, research papers,
databases and other library resources.

Questionnaire:
The questionnaire has been prepared taking into consideration the exploratory research and
secondary research. The questions in the questionnaire follow a structured approach. The first
five questions are based on demographics and sixth question is based on usage. These questions
will help us filter the sample during analysis. Various types of scales have been used in the
questionnaire depending on the extent of data required for further analysis. We have used Likert
scale for question on discount (No. 13) to indicate the level of agreement or disagreement of the
respondents. This scale contains five response categories ranging from strongly agree to strongly
disagree. To conduct the analysis, we will assign each response category with a number ranging
from one to five. We have used this so that respondents can easily understand how to use it.
Question six is kept as an open ended question to reduce the response bias. For the question nine
we opted for rank order scaling technique. Rank order was selected to study the comparative
brand preference among various brands. This just indicates the relative position of the brands but
does not tell us the difference between them. Multi item scales (No.15) have been used whenever
we have to compare brands based on certain attributes. Continuous rating scale has been used
(No.16 and 20) to identify the degree of inclination towards one extreme.

Pretesting the Questionnaire:

A pretest of the questionnaire was conducted after the formulation of questionnaire. A sample
size of 18 people was taken. Half of the sample were asked to read out aloud the questions and
the interviewer noted what difficulties they were facing. The other half of sample had to
normally answer the questionnaire and then a brief discussion was held about the difficulty faced
by them.
It was found out that people are more willing to tell about their income level if the figures are
small i.e. monthly rather than annual income. The question for income should be in words (1
lakh) as it was difficult for a few respondents to comprehend the digits quickly. It was found out
that for question 9, respondents needed additional information as to how to answer it.

Respondents also wanted the brands to be mentioned in the question number 10. For question
number 12 respondents felt a lack of option of customization which was added later.

Sampling Design Procedure:

Since the research is about DTH service providers and subscription of channels, we will be using
Quota Sampling method. As quota sampling is a two stage restricted judgmental sampling, we
will segregate our sample from population based on the age group of 18- 58 years of age. Then in
the second stage we will select based on our judgement and convenience. The incident rate
would be found out using secondary data and the appropriate sample size for survey would be
selected on that basis.

Questionnaire:
1. Please fill in your name here: __________________________________________

2. Age: _________

3. Gender: M/ F

4. Marital Status: Married/ Unmarried

5. Income:
Less than 50,000
or greater

50,001-1,00,000

1,00,001-2,00,000

2,00,000-4,00,000

4,00,000

6. Are you a user of a DTH (direct to home) service for your Television?
Yes
No
7. How many DTH operators do you know about? Name them
______________________________________________________________________________

8. How did you come to know about the provider you are using?

TV Advertisement
Newspaper
Retailer
Friend
Relative
Magazine
Others

9. Where all have you seen these brands?

Tata Sky

Dish TV

Airtel

Videocon
DTH

Newspaper
Television Ad
Radio
Event
Sponsorship
Point Of Sales
Online Advts

10. Rank these brands according to your preference?

(Dish TV, Tata Sky, Videocon DTH, Airtel, Cable Operator, Sun TV)
1.____________
2.____________
3.____________
4.____________
5.____________
6.____________
11. Whom do/did you consult to finalize the decision?

Sun TV

Myself
Friends
Family
Retailers
Neighbour
Online reviews

12. Please rate how important the following are/would be to you when purchasing a DTH
connection

Number of channels

Low monthly rental

Brand Name

Installation charges

Sound quality

Quality of reception

Ability to record shows

High definition

Local packages

Customization of
Packages

13. Will Discounts influence your Purchase? Do you look at discounts offered?

Strongly agree

Agree

Neither agree
nor Disagree

Disagree

Strongly
disagree

14. Does customer review matter while selection of a service provider?

Very much

Somewhat

Neutral

Very less

Not at all

15. Rate the following brands based on the attributes of DTH. [10 being the highest]

Tata Sky

Dish Tv

Airtel

Videocon
DTH

SunTv

Cable
DTH

Price
Quality
Packages
Customer
service
Value added
Features

16. How do you rate the subscription packages of your operator/these operators?
Worst 0------10------20------30------40------50------60------70------80------90------100 Best

17. On what basis do you select the subscription packages?

Number of channels in package

Viewing interest
Price of the package
Family Members

18. Would you prefer pre-defined package or completely customized package?

______________________________
19. Are you happy with the current packages being offered by your service provider?

Yes
No

20. How better is the viewing experience with HD channels?

0--------------------------------------------------------------10

21. Have you ever subscribed for HD package?

Yes
No

22. Are you currently subscribed to HD channels?

Yes
No

23. If no, what is the reason you have not subscribed?

Price
Number of channels
Type of channels
NO HDTV

Any other reason: __________________