With the telecom and media regulator asking for daily reports from DTH and cable players on migration of consumers to TRAI-compliant plans ahead of the Jan 31 deadline, many consumers have complained of being moved to unwanted packs by their providers. Under TRAI Tariff Order...
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Upper caste reservation bill to be presented at 2 PM
The government will present a new bill to amend the constitution and introduce a new 10% quota for ‘forward communities’ at 2 PM today. The bill will be presented by minister of social justice and empowerment Thawar Chand Gehlot. The bill will add a new...
Why 10% ‘upper caste reservation’ misses the point
The cabinet is reported to have approved a move to seek 10% reservation in jobs and educational institutions for all those castes and communities that currently do not get such reservations. The government will create a law to raise the upper ceiling of reserved seats...
TRAI List: Tata Sky leads with 92 HD Channels; Airtel Digital, Sun Direct edge out Dish & D2h
India’s major DTH broadcasters have declared their channel lists and prices under TRAI’s new tariff rules, and an analysis of the same reveals that Tata Sky continues to be undisputed king of HD Channels in India, followed closely by Airtel Digital and Sun Direct. Dish...
Sabarimala women’s entry re-opens BJP’s ‘golden chance’ in Kerala
After waiting patiently for a breakthrough, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s prayers in Kerala seem to have been finally answered in the form of a crucial development in the Sabarimala temple standoff with two women entering the temple at night under police protection. The BJP has...
Tata Sky, Airtel Digital could benefit from new TRAI rules on channel packs
The curious case of the missing Star India channel packs on DTH platforms like D2h and Sun Direct has pointed to the position of relative strength enjoyed by platforms like Tata Sky and Airtel Digital in the new TRAI regime. Under the new rules, distribution...
Finally, BSNL launches 4G in Kerala
BSNL, the state-owned telecom operator, has finally launched 4G in Kerala, starting from bigger cities like Thrissur. Consumers who have upgraded to the 4G SIM can latch on to the operator’s LTE network. The operator is using the 2100 MHz spectrum to deliver 4G services....
TRAI PLANS: Channel prices cut as negotiations drag on with DTH, cable cos
Even as cable and DTH companies prepare to pull most of the expensive channels out of their base packs from December 29 over pricing issues, three broadcasters — Times Network, TV18 and Zee Entertainment — have reduced or rationalized their channel prices and packs. While...
LIST: Sony Pictures unveils 6 channel packs in SD, 4 in HD
Sony Pictures Networks India, the company runs popular TV channels such as Sony Entertainment Television, Max, AXN & Ten Sports, has unveiled a clutch of channel packs ahead of the December 29 deadline by the TRAI for the introduction of new tariff plans. SONY’S UPDATED...
TRAI tariff rules set stage for big fight between channels and DTH-cable cos
The impending December 29 deadline for the introduction of a new set of rules governing the prices of TV channels has set the stage for a mega showdown between broadcasters on the one side and the cable and DTH industry on the other. At the...
FULL LIST: 332 pay channels, 500 FTA declared under TRAI plan
With the December 29 deadline for the implementation of the new TRAI rules drawing near, an analysis of the 332 channels that have already declared their prices indicates that Star India is the most expensive, followed by Zee and Sony. Scroll down to see the...
TRAI Says New Rules Won’t Raise Cable, DTH prices Or Hurt LCOs
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has dismissed the “fabrications and concoctions” being circulated on social media about the new tariff rules that will come into effect on December 29. In a statement, the regulator countered two broad concerns on the upcoming tariff scheme — that...
Most cable, DTH packs will disappear on December 29
With the Dec 29 deadline for the introduction of new cable and DTH plans approaching, operators are finalizing their strategy to deal with the regulatory change as smoothly as possible. According to industry sources, the strategy of the DTH and cable operators will be built...
New TRAI plans could increase cable, DTH prices from Dec 29
TRAI’s tariff order for TV channels was supposed to simplify life for cable and DTH operators and their customers. However, given the recent Madras High Court order and prices announced by broadcasters, the implementation of the order from Dec 29 is likely to raise prices...
New TRAI Tariff for DTH & Cable: List of channels priced Rs 5 or less
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India is in the process of enforcing a new tariff scheme for cable and DTH networks in India. The system was supposed to ensure greater consumer choice by making channels available at cheap rates and ridding the networks of junk...
Consumers to benefit from new TRAI tariff scheme next month – Hathway
Hathway Cable & Datacom, one of India’s largest cable feed providers, said the implementation of a new TRAI tariff scheme for television from next month will empower consumers, even as it will be ‘not so good’ for broadcasting groups that make heavy use of bundling....
Reliance Industries to enlist local stores to fight Flipkart, Amazon
Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries group, today said that his company is working on creating a pan-India e-commerce platform that will help small, offline shops compete with players like Amazon and Flipkart. The platform will work by making the inventory of small shops available...
Trupti Desai adds to the Sabarimala woes of Left Front govt in Kerala
Adding to the headache of the Kerala state government in the Sabarimala matter, Pune-based women’s rights activist Trupti Desai said today that the she is planning to visit the shrine later this month. “The temple will open on 17 November. I will soon write a...
Sun Direct unveils India’s cheapest HD packs at Rs 2.50 per channel
Sun Direct, the satellite TV service from Sun TV group, has started offering the cheapest high-definition channel packages in India. The DTH service, which used to offer HD channels only as part of ‘base packs’ that came with a large number of standard-definition channels, has...
Bharti Airtel overtakes Vodafone Idea in mobile broadband
Bharti Airtel overtook the combined Vodafone-Idea entity in mobile broadband users in August due to a steep, 20% fall in Vodafone India’s wireless broadband users in the month. The sharp decline of 12.5 mln mobile broadband users on Vodafone’s network in August was at odds...