ish TV, India�s first direct-to-home (DTH) entertainment service, has extended its operation nationally. It hopes to add a "substantial number" to its current base 1.5 lakh subscribers by the end of 2005, with bulk of the subscriptions coming from urban homes.

Promoted by the Subhash Chandra-controlled Essel Group, ASC Enterprise�s Dish TV was launched on October 2, 2003. It ventured into the rural and semiurban markets with 48 channels in the first phase. Since it didn�t have a national reach, the company didn�t promote its services aggressively. The idea was to tap the potential in cable-dry rural areas before launching on a national scale. ... more