Dish TV Watcho recently joined forces with Cloud Walker’s Cloud TV OS in a strategic partnership aimed at transforming smart TV entertainment in India. Emphasising the vision behind this collaboration, Abhijeet Rajpurohit, Co-Founder and COO of Cloud TV, and Sukhpreet Singh, Chief Revenue Officer of Dish TV, shared that the primary goal is to simplify content discovery for users, ensuring a seamless experience where the operating system and virtual platform work in perfect sync to deliver entertainment effortlessly.
This strategic alliance marks a milestone for Dish, as it continues to expand beyond its own ecosystem, tapping into Cloud Walker’s extensive smart TV user base.
When asked how the partnership between Dish TV and CloudWalker stands out as a game-changer in the Smart TV space, Rajpurohit said, “Our goal is to make it as easy as possible for users to find the content they want. Dish TV addresses this even more aggressively by not only being an app but also aggregating multiple subscriptions, offering better pricing to consumers, and providing seamless access within a single platform. Ultimately, both of us share the same mission- to simplify the experience for users.”
Adding on to Rajpurohit’s point, Singh mentioned that the magic lies in the seamless integration of the operating system and the virtual platform delivering the content.
“When these two elements work together effortlessly, they create a truly immersive experience for the customer. What sets this apart is the depth of integration we are aiming for, something that, so far, hasn’t been achieved between any other content app and an operating system. That’s what makes it a true differentiator,” he added.
Rajpurohit mentioned that their primary focus is on ease of use and seamless integration, ensuring a smooth and intuitive user journey. With this approach, users won’t need to rely on any other aggregation platform. For avid viewers of OTT or live TV, this level of integration simplifies their experience to the point where opting into subscriptions becomes a natural choice.
“They may start with a smaller plan, but over time, they are likely to upgrade. The integration with Watcho further enhances this seamless experience, allowing users to switch effortlessly between their TV and mobile devices. This continuity across screens is the key highlight for us,” he added.
Adding on to what Rajpurohit said, Singh said that the core highlight here is the deep integration, ensuring that the TV, powered by the Cloud TV OS and Watcho, feels personalised from the moment one logs in.
“The experience is designed to make viewers feel as if the TV already knows them, creating a seamless and intuitive interaction right from the start,” he said.
When asked how the integration of Cloud TV OS with Watcho enhances the user experience compared to existing Smart TV solutions, Rajpurohit explained that typically, if you’re a Watcho user, you’d first need to download the app and sign in. While this is a standard process, deeper integration changes the experience significantly.
“When we integrate an application at a deeper level, we can detect if a user is already logged into Cloud TV and has a Watcho subscription. In that case, instead of requiring them to download and sign into the app separately, we simply prompt them with the option to continue using their subscription on the television. This eliminates extra steps, making the experience more seamless. Ultimately, Watcho subscribers value convenience and prefer accessing all their apps in one place, and this integration enhances that by reducing friction in user engagement,” he added.
Singh added that the entire experience, put simply, is designed to make the viewer feel as if the TV already knows them the moment they log in, thanks to the operating system.
“Regardless of what’s running in the background, whether it’s the software, user interface, or other elements, the key takeaway is that the TV intuitively understands the customer and anticipates what they would like to do,” he added.
When asked about the impact of Dish TV’s coverage across more than 200 Smart TV brands on its market reach and subscriber base, Singh emphasised, “We anticipate a significant positive impact, given that there are 6 million subscribers, most of whom are active, along with 200 television brands. This expansion naturally increases our reach. While some of these subscribers may already be using our services, many likely are not, presenting an opportunity to bring them into our ecosystem. This not only broadens our reach but also enhances the experience we can offer. Overall, we expect a highly positive business impact.”
Furthermore, he highlighted that their approach to monetisation is rooted in delivering an exceptional viewer experience rather than focusing solely on monetisation.
“We prioritise enhancing customer engagement, knowing that when viewers have a seamless and enriching experience, monetisation opportunities naturally follow. The key lies in providing highly relevant recommendations, when viewers receive content that resonates with them, they engage more, leading to organic monetisation avenues. On the other hand, pushing irrelevant content negatively impacts both viewer satisfaction and platform perception. Ultimately, our strategy is built on the belief that a superior viewer experience paves the way for sustainable monetisation,” he added.
When asked about the key regions and demographics Dish TV is focusing on for growth this year and the strategies to capture these markets, Singh shared that Dish TV has been a key player in the country’s television industry for over 23 years, operating with multiple brands under its umbrella.
“Through Dish TV and D2H on the traditional TV front and Watcho in the OTT space, the company ensures nationwide coverage, leaving no region untapped. While there isn’t a specific geographic priority, the southern region continues to have a relatively stronger base of traditional TV consumers. However, the shift toward mixed content consumption across platforms is well underway,” he said.
“Rather than focusing on specific geographies, Dish TV prioritises customer segments. The company is actively engaging with connected customers while also catering to both ends of the consumer spectrum. At the entry level, Dish TV Zing serves viewers transitioning from free-to-air to pay TV, while at the other end, Watcho targets digitally savvy audiences. With this approach, Dish TV aims to encompass the entire market, addressing diverse viewing preferences,” he added.
When asked whether the growing shift towards digital consumption could eventually cause a sharp decline in linear TV viewership in India, Singh stated that the actual viewership data shows that while traditional TV viewership is not growing at the same pace as before, it is also not declining.
Furthermore, he went on to say, “India, being a vast and diverse country, continues to have a significant segment of viewers. Millions of households still do not own a television, and as they gain access, TV penetration will naturally increase. The rapid pace of rural electrification over the past few years has played a crucial role in this expansion, enabling more villages to access television.”
At the same time, mobile usage in India has consistently been on the rise, contributing to overall screen growth. As a result, video content consumption across platforms is also increasing.
“We see ourselves primarily as a content aggregator and distributor, regardless of the platform. Our focus remains on aggregating and distributing content, whether through television, OTT, or any other medium,” Singh said.
“In line with this vision, we are launching ‘Content India,’ a major content marketplace and confluence modeled after ‘Content London’ and ‘Content America.’ This marks the beginning of a larger content-driven strategy. Additionally, we are continuously expanding our brand with new initiatives, and you can expect more updates in the coming weeks. Our core remains content aggregation and distribution, independent of the platform, whether it is linear TV, OTT, or beyond,” he added.
