MUMBAI: In a short span of three weeks, Hinduja Group’s headend in the sky (HITS) venture - NXT Digital has signed up as many as one million analogue TV households in phase III markets.

Grant Investrade Limited managing director Tony D’silva said, “In just over three weeks since NXT Digital was announced, it has already been signed up to reach one million analogue TV households in phase III markets through LMOs and MSOs who have opted for our services.”

Over the last 21 days, the HITS player has reached out to the cable fraternity across several cities. “The fraternity is extremely excited about NXT Digital,” he said. 

LMOs and MSOs, according to D’silva,  see NXT Digital as a partner that will not only help them make the mandated transition from analogue to digital, but remain independent and owners of the networks they have built with sheer dint of hard work over the years.

The roll-out of digital addressable systems (DAS) in phase III and IV markets across 110 million TV households is being seen as the biggest and the most significant step for the media and entertainment industry in India.

A state-of-the-art broadcast facility in Noida has been designed and purpose-built to provide top quality service, which will roll out in end-August this year. While the satellite-based service will have a national footprint, in view of the deadline for DAS rollout, Grant Investrade is concentrating on the phase III and IV markets for its marketing and subscription drive to enable the cable fraternity provide digital services there.

D’silva said, “NXT Digital will empower and enable the distribution fraternity including LMOs and MSOs to offer a world of exciting digital services to their end-subscribers in all the analogue households across markets. Crucially, NXT Digital will not only help the LMOs and MSOs go digital as per government mandated standards and within the set deadlines, but, throughout the process, help them be independent and retain the ownership of their network.”