In India’s entertainment industry, few narratives are as compelling as that of Dangal TV and its parent company, Enterr10 Television. Founded in 2004 by Manish Singhal, Enterr10 began its journey from Indore, a city not traditionally known as a media hub. The Television business was started to help grow the shopping / commerce business that Manish was running. That business was in a leadership position during the tele commerce days. Under Singhal’s leadership, the content company has grown into a formidable name in the Indian media and content landscape, challenging established giants and redefining content consumption for millions across the country.
Dangal TV, launched in 2009, started as a Bhojpuri-language movie channel. In 2015 recognising the evolving preferences of the Indian audience, the channel transitioned into a Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC), offering a diverse mix of family dramas, mythological series, and crime shows. This strategic pivot paid off, with Dangal TV often topping viewership charts and becoming a staple in households, particularly in the Hindi-speaking regions. As Manish Singhal says, “Honestly, back then we never measured ourselves against other channels—we only competed and measured our growth vis-a-vis ourselves. It was always ‘Dangal versus Dangal’”.
The channel’s success can be attributed to its deep understanding of its audience’s preferences and its commitment to delivering relatable content. By focusing on stories that resonate with everyday experiences and values, Dangal TV has cultivated a loyal viewer base that spans both urban and rural areas.
As the media landscape underwent a digital transformation, Enterr10 Television recognised the need to adapt and innovate. This foresight led to the launch of Dangal Play, the company’s OTT platform, which offers a curated selection of content catering to diverse linguistic and cultural tastes in 2022. Spearheading this digital venture is Akshat Singhal, who brings a fresh perspective and a keen understanding of the digital domain.
Akshat’s leadership has been instrumental in positioning Dangal Play as a competitive player in the OTT space. By focusing on content localisation, user-friendly interfaces, and strategic partnerships, the platform has managed to carve out its niche amidst stiff competition. His approach underscores the importance of blending traditional storytelling with modern delivery mechanisms to meet the evolving demands of today’s viewers.
The collaborative efforts of Manish and Akshat Singhal are a blend of experience and innovation. While Manish brings decades of industry knowledge and a deep-rooted understanding of audience dynamics, Akshat infuses the organisation with digital savvy and a forward-thinking mindset. Together, they are steering Enterr10 Television towards a future that embraces both the legacy of traditional broadcasting and the possibilities of digital media.
“Last year the network clocked in Rs 600 crore plus in revenue, this year we are aiming to increase that by another 15%,” says Manish Singhal, MD, Enterr10 Television Pvt. Limited.
Enterr10 Television Pvt. Limited also owns a production company named Cinemakers Production Pvt. Limited, which is focused on creating in-house content which they sometimes syndicate to other platforms too.
In an era where content consumption patterns are rapidly changing, the story of Dangal TV and Enterr10 Television serves as a testament to the power of adaptability, audience-centric programming, and effective leadership. As the company continues to evolve, it remains committed to delivering quality entertainment that reflects the diverse tapestry of Indian society.
Leading the Dangal Way
In conversation with Manish Singhal, MD, Enterr10 Television Pvt Limited, and Akshat Singhal, Head, Dangal Play, about their TV and OTT businesses, market expansion plans, and future goals
The father-son duo Manish Singhal, MD, Enterr10 Television Pvt. Limited and Akshat Singhal, Head – Dangal Play, have stirred the company to nationwide reach. Manish Singhal says that the ability to create fresh, original content where they produce all their original TV shows and movies entirely in-house, sets them apart.
Q] Manish, Dangal TV started off as a Bhojpuri channel and transitioned to a Hindi GEC. How difficult was the transition considering that you were competing with established players like Star and Sony who are known to have deep pockets?
Manish: Honestly, back then when we launched as a Bhojpuri channel and later benefited from offering both Hindi and Bhojpuri content, we didn’t stop to compare our ranking or worry about what the other players were doing. We just kept pushing our own benchmarks. It wasn’t until we hit around 80?GRPs that we paused and thought, ‘Okay, we’ve really accomplished something here,’ and by then we’d already overtaken a couple of major platforms.
Q] Given the channel’s strong presence in rural and semi-urban markets, do you plan to get into Tier 1 cities, and if yes, how are you rebranding your content for the top Tier 1 cities?
Manish: Dangal already enjoys nationwide reach. Although its ratings are especially strong in Tier 2 cities and rural areas, the channel is well-distributed on all urban platforms within DTH and Cable. Audience affinity is high both is urban as well as semi urban & rural. Dangal TV TSV (Time Spent per viewer) ranks among the top two Hindi-GECs in both urban and rural meters—so it isn’t merely a ‘rural phenomenon.’
The Hindi-speaking market is fairly homogeneous: viewers everywhere respond to the same emotional storytelling. That’s why time-spent-viewing remains high across geographies.
Dangal can still improve in urban GRPs by fine-tuning placement on key platforms to capitalise on the strong TSV it already commands. But from a content perspective, I believe our content has a universal appeal and doesn’t need a urban-versus-rural strategy; emotion resonates equally in both markets.
Q] What are Dangal TV’s expansion plans worldwide?
Manish: Dangal is expanding very aggressively across global markets.We had started in UK with a new channel to gauge viewer response; now that the response has been great, we’ve applied for our own licence. Additionally, the distribution platforms in western countries are seeing a significant shift. We are also looking at multiple FAST (Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV) Platforms and IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) Service providers.
We have just launched a new channel in the United States, now streaming on?Sling. We consistently assess which international markets deliver the strongest ROI and concentrate our resources there as part of a disciplined and strategic growth plan.
Q] Are there any plans to expand to other markets besides the US?
Manish: We’re continually exploring new territories. In the U.S.—with its large South-Asian diaspora—we’re doubling down, especially now that FAST channels let us place our content across multiple platforms. Beyond America, we’re actively looking at Africa and Middle?East and dozens of other regions, we syndicate programmes in roughly?40–45 countries. In short, we’re using every route available to give Dangal a robust, truly global presence.
Q] Do you have plans to move into any other category besides entertainment, like sports?
Manish: We are looking at the regional markets space. We have our license for a Telugu channel. In addition to that we will be ramping up our Bengali GEC. We are also launching our Dangal HD channel.
Q] Cord cutting is a big thing in the urban markets, but as Dangal is predominant in rural and semi-urban markets, are you seeing any impact?
Manish: I don’t believe there’s any significant impact on our market. While pay TV subscriptions are declining, there’s no doubt about that, the free market is expanding steadily. We expect at least a 15–20% overall growth in the free market, with potentially even higher growth in the GEC sector.
Q] Talking about cord cutting, Akshat, there are so many OTT platforms in the landscape. What is Dangal Play’s differentiator in terms of content?
Akshat: In terms of content, we stand out by offering something that very few OTT platforms do—uploading our daily episodes one day before they air on TV, exclusively for paid subscribers on Dangal Play. Additionally, Dangal Play is currently a fully subscription-based platform, which is another differentiator that sets us apart from others.
Q] Are the Dangal shows on any other OTT platform besides Dangal Play?
Akshat: We do syndicate Dangal TV shows to other OTT platforms. Some shows are available on different platforms depending on the deals with the platform.
Q] Is there a content strategy to create Dangal Play originals that are exclusive to OTT, or will you continue to broadcast whatever you’ve shown in TV?
Akshat: In addition to our current broadcast content, we have already begun commissioning web series from other producers. Within the next six months, we aim to have a lineup of four to five web series on our OTT platform.
Q] What is the USP of Dangal compared to other channels for advertisers?
Manish: Dangal’s unique selling proposition (USP) lies in its ability to create fresh, original content. We produce all fresh TV shows entirely in-house, which sets us apart—especially in the FTA space—where no other channel is making this amount of fresh content. This is a major advantage for us. Another key USP is our reach. Dangal delivers one of the largest audience reach in the country—likely the only platform that offers such extensive coverage. This makes us an ideal medium for brands aiming at building reach and impact.
What’s more, free networks like ours are not only growing in rural areas but are now expanding rapidly into urban centres as well. Over the last 4–5 years, we’ve seen this shift, and it’s a trend that’s set to continue.
Q] With BARC ratings often under scrutiny and calls for a more transparent viewership measurement system, how do you track your channel’s performance beyond BARC?
Manish: The more transparency there is, the more business will grow and the market will develop. Increased transparency benefits the entire industry. In addition to BARC data we also use social media traction to see the performance of shows and character. We also use YouTube to gauge, as we upload our content there. Over the last 1.5-2 years, we’ve been active on the platform and can confidently say our content is performing exceptionally well.
YouTube provides an excellent metric for tracking our performance, value, and video market share. Although we joined the platform later than some, we’ve seen remarkable growth-almost two and a half times of what we saw last year. The platform offers us valuable insights on show performance, user reactions, and viewer comments, helping us better understand how our content is resonating with audiences.
Q] Manish, given your presence on DD Free Dish, what kind of advertisers do you usually onboard? Can you share examples of any long-standing partnerships?
Manish: We already work with most advertisers targeting the Hindi?speaking market.?FMCG brands account for about 50-60 % of the total ad spends across all entertainment networks.?While performance can shift depending on a brand’s precise target group, our goal is always the same: maximise their visibility and impact.
To that end, we have a dedicated branded?content team that collaborates with clients to craft story?driven integrations and campaigns that amplify recall and reach. There’s no divide where only certain advertisers choose Dangal and others go elsewhere.
Market dynamics also favour our proposition. Roughly 52% of consumer value? and volume?growth now comes from smaller towns and rural areas. As more brands invest in distribution and logistics to capture this demand—Kia’s recent decision to court rural buyers is a prime example—we’re perfectly positioned as their go?to platform. Our aim is to remain the best partner for advertisers looking to unlock growth across both urban and hinterland audiences.
