Decoding Airtel’s new Xstream Fiber packages – Creating value through live TV and OTT

After a period of status quo in tariffs and packages, the residential broadband market in India has been shaken up. Bharti Airtel has announced new subscription packages for its broadband service Xstream Fiber, and yet the offering is expected to face resistance from rivals and impact live TV broadcasting platforms along the way. Airtel says its new Xstream Fiber plans bundle more than 350 live TV channels as well as more than 20 subscriptions to streaming platforms, including Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar and Netflix.

The new subscription offer comes after the company confirmed that its residential broadband and Wi-Fi services are now more widely available across the country, something it has struggled with in the past. “While Airtel Wi-Fi has been limited in the past, Airtel has worked to resolve this issue and now we have high-speed Wi-Fi available in more than 1,200 cities. This means that those of you who were previously unable to access high-speed internet can now do so,” said Gopal Vittal, CEO of Airtel, in an official statement.

The new Airtel Xstream home broadband plans, Airtel confirmed to HT, include more than 350 live TV channels along with subscriptions to more than 22 streaming platforms. The live TV channels will be delivered via an Airtel Xstream 4K Android TV Box, which the company says uses the DTH (direct-to-home) platform. It does not use the Wi-Fi network and is therefore not an IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) delivery.

While the 1Gbps plan, which costs ₹3,999 there is no change in the costs, there is an increase of ₹100 for the ₹899 (100Mbps, otherwise ₹799), ₹1099 (200Mbps; otherwise ₹999) and ₹1599 (300Mbps; otherwise ₹1499) to include live TV and OTT or additional streaming add-ons tied to the broadband subscription.

The entry-level plan, which otherwise costs ₹499 for 40Mbps internet speed, get this package at ₹699 per month. The top 1Gbps plan retains its ₹3,999 price tag, with the new additions.

Airtel also confirms to HT that these subscription packages will be available to new Xstream broadband users as well as existing subscribers who want to use the bundled subscriptions for live TV and streaming apps. The company tells us that apart from Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ Hotstar content being redirected to their official apps with the bundled subscription, other streaming apps will also provide movies and TV shows via the Airtel Xstream Play app.

This means that this content will be accessible via Xstream Play on Android phones and tablets, Apple iPhones, iPads and Apple TV, as well as Android TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick and Windows PCs, regardless of connectivity.

“As a mark of this capability, we have decided to bring you even more value here, including the widest selection of TV shows, movies and web series included in your Wi-Fi plan. Notably, this content delivered on Airtel Wi-Fi gives you access to over 22 OTTs and over 350 TV channels,” adds Vittal.

It is currently unclear whether existing Airtel Black subscribers, who frequently use direct-to-home (DTH) services along with postpaid mobile connections and Xstream broadband in one bill, will have the option to get new tariffs.

By leveraging its broadband and DTH networks for subscription packages, Airtel is on the verge of offering extreme value to both sets of users if they choose to bundle. This should not only be a concern for Airtel’s broadband rivals like Reliance Jio, ACT Broadband and Excitel, but also the DTH sector like Tata Play and Dish TV.

Let us take the example of the new ₹1099 plan – it offers 200Mbps broadband (whatever else costs ₹999 per month), Netflix ( ₹499 per month for Full HD and ₹649 per month for 4K streaming), Amazon Prime Video ( ₹299 per month as part of a larger Prime package), Disney+ Hotstar ( ₹299 per month) and a 350-channel live TV package that also includes HD channels (this otherwise costs ₹348,- per month, depending on selection).

Reliance Jio also has similar packages at prices ₹599 per month and upwards, including up to 17 streaming app subscriptions and reportedly 800 live TV channels delivered via IPTV on the JioTV+ platform.

A few months ago, Varun Pasricha, Chief Operating Officer at Excitel, speaking to HT, outlined the company’s plans to roll out ‘The Cable Cutter’ broadband and TV streaming packages in all 50 cities where the company has a presence by the end of this year and 150 cities by 2028.