Reliance Digital TV (originally launched as BIG TV) was a DTH satellite television service operated by Reliance Communications (RCOM) — the telecom arm of Anil Ambani’s Reliance ADAG group. It was launched in 2008 but wound down after Reliance Communications entered insolvency in 2019, making it one of the most high-profile failures in India’s pay-TV history.
| Original Brand | BIG TV (later Reliance Digital TV) |
| Owner | Reliance Communications Ltd (RCOM) — Anil Ambani |
| Launched | August 2008 |
| Wound Down | 2019 (RCOM insolvency / IBC proceedings) |
| Status | Defunct — service discontinued |
Who Owned Reliance Digital TV?
Reliance Digital TV was owned by Reliance Communications Limited (RCOM) — controlled by Anil Ambani (Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, ADAG). After the 2005 partition of Mukesh Ambani and Anil Ambani’s inheritances, RCOM got the telecom business while Mukesh got Reliance Industries / Jio. RCOM’s debt (₹46,000+ crore) became unmanageable when Jio’s 2016 launch collapsed RCOM’s CDMA subscriber base overnight. RCOM filed for insolvency in 2019. Reliance Digital TV was a victim — the DTH service was wound down as part of RCOM’s asset disposal. See also: Dish TV.
History of Reliance Digital TV (BIG TV)
BIG TV launched in August 2008 with great fanfare — part of Anil Ambani’s ambition to build a media and entertainment empire (Big Pictures, Big FM, BIG TV, BIG Flicks). The DTH service reached ~10M subscribers but struggled against Dish TV, Tata Sky, and later Airtel Digital TV. The RCOM parent’s financial decline from ~2013 onwards restricted BIG TV’s capex. When RCOM filed for NCLT insolvency in 2019 with ₹46,000 crore in debt, BIG TV ceased operations. Subscribers were advised to migrate to other DTH providers.
