Cable and DTH users can now watch Star India’s sports and English channels at 30% lower cost as India’s largest broadcaster has introduced smaller, more affordable channel packs in these two genres. The move is seen as a reaction to the feedback given by the...
ENTERTAINMENT
TRAI SCHEME: 85% users have chosen MSO packs – GTPL
85% of the customers who have shifted to tariff packs under TRAI’s new tariff plan have gone with packages created by the cable operator, said Aniruddhasinhji Jadeja, founder and MD of GTPL Hathway, one of India’s largest cable networks. Jadeja said, as of Feb 12,...
TRAI RULES: Republic TV biggest gainer; Hindi entertainment channels biggest losers
Free-to-air English news channels like Republic TV and Al Jazeera have got a massive boost in their reach, while paid Hindi entertainment and movie channels have seen the biggest drop in reach after the implementation of the new TRAI tariff scheme, according to data from...
MULTI TV: D2h to charge only Rs 50; Tata Sky, Airtel yet to announce plans
D2h, a DTH brand from Dish TV India, said it will give a discount of Rs 80 to all additional connections to its existing customers under its Multi TV scheme. In other words, if you already have a D2h connection, you can get a second...
Harvest TV to be renamed ‘Tiranga TV’ after TDSAT order
Harvest TV, led by journalists like Barkha Dutt and Karan Thapar, has got permission from an industry disputes settlement body to use the name ‘Tiranga TV’. The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal has overruled the objection by the government of India that Tiranga referred...
Tata Sky Case: Delhi High Court pulls up TRAI for modifying roll-out plan midway
Delhi High Court, hearing a challenge by DTH and cable companies against TRAI’s new tariff scheme, today expressed its displeasure over regulator modifying tariff roll-out process of the new tariff system without even informing the court. Chief Justice Rajendra Menon asked the regulator to file...
Bad news for cable, DTH players: TRAI says long-duration packs must continue
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India today set the cat among the pigeons among cable and DTH operators by saying that customers should be given the option of continuing with their long duration packs if they so desire. This has potential negative implications for all...
TRAI gives extra time for selecting new packs; creates confusion among cable, DTH operators
The Telecom Regulatory Authority has given time till Mar 30 for those subscribers who have not exercised their choice under new TV channel plans. The cable and DTH providers have been told to move customers who fail to exercise their choice to a ‘best fit...
TRAI gives OK to multi TV schemes, but price must be uniform
Media regulator TRAI clarified that nothing in the new tariff regime prevents cable and DTH operators from offering discounts on the network charges payable by customers. Accordingly, it said, some of the cable and DTH operators have restarted their discounted multi TV offers. The topic...
Delhi HC rejects plea to censor Game of Thrones, other web series
The Delhi High Court today dismissed a petition by a lawyer’s organization, Justice For Rights, seeking censoring of online content such as Game of Thrones, Spartacus, Vikings and Sacred Games. The petition, filed late last year, claimed that such videos constituted “unregulated, uncertified, sexually explicit,...
TV BLACKOUT: TRAI issues show-cause notice to DTH operator
Media regulator TRAI said it has issued a show cause notice to a ‘large’ platform operator for showing black screens to its customers during the migration to the new TV channel tariff scheme. It did not give the name of the platform operator, merely noting...
TRAI disputes CRISIL report, says cable, DTH not more expensive
Media regulator TRAI today issued a clarification on a report by the research wing of credit rating agency CRISIL in which the agency had claimed that the introduction of the regulator’s new TV pricing norms will increase cable and DTH prices. CRISIL had taken the...
BASE PACK CHARGE: TRAI sets up call center for complaints, gives phone no.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has issued new directions to cable and DTH operators prohibiting them from forcing any channel other than Doordarshan’s on their consumers in the name of ‘base packs’ or ‘basic service tier’, and also set up a call center to...
TRAI IMPACT: More HD channels coming to cable networks
The implementation of TRAI Tariff Order of 2017 from this month has increased monthly cable prices for many users, but it is also having a positive impact on the availability of premium and HD channels on several platforms. The new rules give all cable operators...
TRAI plan not activated? Try resubmitting the channel list
The rollout of the new TV channel pricing mechanism by the media regulator has led to many users facing a black out or being saddled with the wrong set of channels and packs by their cable and DTH operator. Even as the roll-out hits its...
TRAI PACKS: Channel selection page for Airtel Digital, Dish TV, D2h and Tata Sky
Many users of Airtel Digital, as well as rivals like Dish TV and D2h are facing issues with the activation of their new TRAI-compliant plans, with customer care officials not able to help in many cases. Unlike Dish TV and D2h, Airtel Digital users are...
Would-be acquirers behind Zee Entertainment rumors?
Punit Goenka, the CEO and MD of Zee Entertainment Enterprises and part of the promoter group of the company, said recent controversies involving the promoters have not affected the determination of the promoters to find the right strategic partner for the media company. Goenka was...
TRAI PACK ACTIVATION: Dish TV, Tata Sky, D2h and Airtel Digital flooded with complaints on social media
Customers of DTH networks have been flooding social media, particularly Twitter, with messages of frustration as the implementation of the new TRAI rules on channel pricing hits its third day today. Among the DTH providers transitioning customers are Airtel Digital, Tata Sky, Dish TV, Videocon...
Zee Media to hold conference call on Monday
Zee Media, the news broadcasting arm of Zee Group, has invited analysts for a conference call on Monday to discuss what it called “business related affairs” of the company. The call will be from 12:30 PM to 1:00 PM. No other details was revealed about...
Zee Entertainment confirms talks for stake sale, no buyer identified
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd, the country’s largest listed media company, confirmed that its promoter is in talks to sell a part of its stake in the company, but also said that the talks are still ongoing. “Promoters have been in discussions/negotiations with various prospective investors,”...