Shah Rukh Khan to endorse DishTV

The Essel group-promoted Dish TV – the country’s first direct-to-home (DTH) platform – appears to be pulling all stops for a pitched battle in the rapidly-growing DTH market, with big names such as Bharti and Reliance ADAG set to enter the fray.

DishTV has roped in Shah Rukh Khan to endorse its brand in a multi-crore deal. A formal announcement of the same is expected shortly. DishTV’s competitor, Tata Sky, had used another Bollywood hottie, Hrithik Roshan, extensively earlier this year to promote its services during the ICC Cricket World Cup.

Though DishTV officials declined to comment on the deal with SRK, the industry ranks him as charging one of the highest fees per brand. Sources say Shah Rukh charges anywhere between Rs 5 crore and Rs 7 crore per endorsement. Sources say Tata Sky may have lapped up Hrithik cheaper at Rs 2-3 crore.

DishTV, which has been around for about three years, leads the DTH space with a subscriber base of close to 2.2 million. The one-year-old Tata Sky, on the other hand, has a customer base of one million. By 2012, the market for DTH services is expected to escalate to 25-30 million, from about 5 million currently. However, industry experts say the business requires long gestation periods for DTH operators to break even on their investments.

For Shah Rukh, DishTV will be yet another brand to his long endorsement list. His endorsements include Diageo, Bel Monte Suitings, Emami’s Fair & Handsome men’s fairness cream, Hyundai, Omega watches, Pepsi, Compaq, besides socially relevant campaigns such as for Pulse Polio and AIDS control.

Ratna Bhushan & Moinak Mitra, TheEconomicTimes