Tata Sky Discontinues Its SD Set-Top Box, Offers HD Option as Minimum for New Customers

Tata Sky appears to have discontinued its SD set-top box that was meant for displaying standard-definition (SD) content. With the new move, the direct-to-home (DTH) operator has streamlined its range of set-top box models to four distinct options, namely the Tata Sky Binge+, Tata Sky HD, Tata Sky 4K, and Tata Sky+ HD. The new development comes just days after Tata Sky dropped the pricing of its HD set-top box by offering a discount of Rs. 100. That discount made the price of the HD set-top box identical to what the operator offered to customers purchasing its SD set-top box.

The Tata Sky site is no longer showing the SD set-top box in the listing of available set-top box models by the operator. Similarly, the dedicated webpage available for the Tata Sky SD set-top box is giving a 404 “page not found” error.

According to a report by the DTH-focussed site DreamDTH, Tata Sky brought the discontinuation of its SD set-top box on February 5. It is, however, unclear whether the company would continue to support its existing SD set-top box consumers.

Gadgets 360 has reached out to Tata Sky for clarity on the discontinuation and will update this space when the company responds.

Last month, Tata Sky discounted the price of its HD set-top box that brought its price down to Rs. 1,399. This was notably identical to the price offered for the SD set-top box. However, the discount appeared to be for a limited period since Tata Sky listed the HD set-top box price under a ‘Special Offer' tag.

By discontinuing its SD set-top box, Tata Sky has the HD set-top box as the cheapest option for its new customers. This would help the operator encourage consumers to choose HD channels that ultimately enhance its revenue generation over time.

Unlike Tata Sky, competitors including Airtel Digital TV and Dish TV still have both SD and HD set-top box models on their portfolio. While Airtel is offering its SD set-top box at a price of Rs. 1,100, Dish TV has its DishNXT SD with one month subscription at Rs. 1,490.

DTH operators in India are currently trying to bring smarter TV-viewing experiences by offering Android-based set-top boxes in addition to their existing options. They are also seen partnering with over-the-top (OTT) platforms to provide fresh content to TV viewers in addition to a range of HD and SD channels.