MUMBAI: The average revenue per user (Arpu) per month of Videocon d2h, the direct-to-home (DTH) television service of Bharat Business Channel, was Rs 135 in the six months ended 31 October 2012, up from Rs 113 in the fiscal year beginning 1 April 2011.

Videocon d2h‘s gross subscriber base as on 31 October was 6.62 million, up 21 per cent from 5.48 million as on 31 March 2012.

The company‘s subscriber acquisition cost in the first half of 2012-13 was the lowest at Rs 2,021 per subscriber as it procures set-top boxes (STBs) locally from a group company.

Videocon d2h will buy from group firm Trend Electronics Ltd (TEL) 1.6 million standard definition STBs at Rs 1,400 per piece, 0.4 million high definition STBs at Rs 1,700 per piece and two million outdoor units and accessories at Rs 627 per unit.

Bharat Business Channel has filed a draft prospectus for an initial public offering (IPO) to raise Rs 7 billion.

Videocon d2h has the highest subscriber addition rate with a 25 per cent share in the total additions by DTH players in the first half of 2012-13. In the whole of 2011-12 too Videocon d2h had the highest share of 24.4 per cent in new subscriber additions.

The company‘s monthly churn rate too was lower at 0.89 per cent in the first half of 2012-13 from 1.16 per cent in the whole of 2011-12.

Airtel DTH and Dish TV, the competitors of Videocon d2h, had monthly Arpu of Rs 171 and Rs 154, respectively, while the monthly churn rate of Airtel was 1.9 per cent and Dish TV 0.8 per cent in the first half of 2012-13.