A la carte menu for DTH subscribers at Rs. 150

[Jigneshg]

NEW DELHI: Direct-to-home (DTH) subscribers will soon have an a la carte menu of channels to choose from, but will have to pay a minimum fee of Rs. 150 a month.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued its tariff order for 2010, for digital addressable systems such as DTH and IPTV and has insisted that customers must be given free choice of pay channels, than be forced to pick from a bunch of pre-set bouquet arrangements.

The change must be made by September this year and the final deadline will be January 2011 if operators needed extra time for technical upgrade.

Service providers have been told to publish channel rates every three months, with a 30-day notice period for any changes. If they want to fix a monthly minimum subscription, the bill cannot exceed Rs. 150.

TRAI has also told broadcasters that they can charge DTH operators only 35 per cent of the fee they charge regular cable TV operators for their channels. This is because DTH allows an accurate record of subscribers opting for different channels, unlike the regular cable TV, where broadcasters must rely on the data reported by operators.

The tariff order comes a day after TRAI told the Supreme Court that it plans to cap regular cable TV charges at Rs. 250 per month. The regulatory agency has also submitted its recommendations on the government's uplinking-downlinking policy, now under review.

TRAI feels there should be no cap on the number of satellite-based TV channels allowed to uplink or downlink content in India.

:yahoo: :yahoo:

Source:

The Hindu : National : A la carte menu for DTH subscribers at Rs. 150

 

[spirovious]

Currently Dishtv has minimum subscribtion of Rs.125.
With Rs.150,they have more ch.

 

[adder]

Currently Dishtv has minimum subscribtion of Rs.125.
With Rs.150,they have more ch.

So does other dth players,but with the new rule one gets to pick the channels they watch not the lame channels the dth companies bundle in those base packs.

 

[server3249]

I'm sure there will be some obvious loophole in this half assed law (just like all the others) and the cable operators will end up making even more money.

 

[kapvin]

I'm sure there will be some obvious loophole in this half assed law (just like all the others) and the cable operators will end up making even more money.

if implemented, I only see good in this. i can choose the channels I want and not have to bundle other useless channels since they have no value for me.

for eg -it woulds be great to be able to not receive cartoon network and pogo, while keeping ceebeebees and disney channels

for example my ts mega pack costs about 500/- per month; and includes everything. if could pick and choose, and remove all the channels i dont need (all non hindi and non english channels) and it cost me only50/- less, i'd still save those 50 bucks because I never watch those channels anyway.

also it would ensure more responsible, content driven channels, since each channel would need to stand on it's own feet. niche channels or channels that do not get viewer interest would struggle to justify existence. again for eg- star one cannot have a free ride by being bundled with star plus anymore.


just my two bits

 

[captrajesh]

I'm sure there will be some obvious loophole in this half assed law (just like all the others) and the cable operators will end up making even more money.

+1 to that.

 

[deba]

good news but the min. subscription amount should be less........)
Now I can subscribe only my favourite channels......

 

[server3249]

if implemented, I only see good in this. i can choose the channels I want and not have to bundle other useless channels since they have no value for me.

for eg -it woulds be great to be able to not receive cartoon network and pogo, while keeping ceebeebees and disney channels

for example my ts mega pack costs about 500/- per month; and includes everything. if could pick and choose, and remove all the channels i dont need (all non hindi and non english channels) and it cost me only50/- less, i'd still save those 50 bucks because I never watch those channels anyway.

also it would ensure more responsible, content driven channels, since each channel would need to stand on it's own feet. niche channels or channels that do not get viewer interest would struggle to justify existence. again for eg- star one cannot have a free ride by being bundled with star plus anymore.


just my two bits

The cost of individual channels will probably be so high it will not make sense to take them individually..