Talking to colleagues from India back during BroadcastAsia mid-2009, some were keen to play down the DTH growth story, saying that projections of its potential in India were being over-exaggerated. But subscriber numbers from analysts Media Partners Asia show DTH to be the fastest-growing sector in India’s television industry since its launch in 2003. Currently at 20 million homes, eight million were added in the past five years and 10 million more are projected for 2010. Unsurprisingly, satellite operators and technology solutions providers are looking to be at the forefront of this continued growth, looking at ways to help DTH platforms increasingly add value, whether that be HD or DVR capabilities. A survey conducted by MPA on behalf of NDS, found those homes with DVR listed it as their second-most essential household technology item (behind the mobile phone.) And the DTH platforms with the highest ARPU, Tata Sky and Bharti, are those that have differentiated their offerings via VAS such as DVR and advanced EPG. Under the microscope at the CASBAA India Satellite Industry Forum 2010 in New Delhi on 22 March will be DTH growth through digitalization, HD developments and co-existence between new and traditional communications services. According to CASBAA, subscription TV penetration in India now reaches 85 percent of urban areas. In the DTH space, over 2.5 million subscribers are being added every quarter, reaching 15 million homes by the end of last year.