Television Orders - TRAI

[kesav 127]

TRAI, in its path breaking and stupendous move has passed orders to handlers of Television signals.

These orders has potential to completely change the contours of broadcasting and its allied industries.

These orders directly has effect on consumers,cable TV operators, DTH operators, IPTV operators, MSOs(Multi sytem operators), HITS operators and entities whose business is someway related to TV signal-flow

The underlying umbilical cord of these orders is "consumer's choice and interest" and "Inducement to covert all non-addressable systems to addressable systems"

Note:: Addressable system means set-top box driven and hence each consumer has control over the channels he receives

These orders come to force from 1st September 2010

Highlights

1) All channels must be provided in A-la-carte basis in addition to bouquets if any (Only DTH operators has waiver till 1st Jan 2011 if they can prove it to Authority that they cannot abide by this order only because of technical reason)

2) All pay channels in the addressable system to be cheaper by minimum of 65% than their corresponding rate in non addressable system

3) Minimum subscription period for A-la-carte channel not to exceed 3 months

4) Minimum subscription fee per month not to exceed Rs. 150 + tax

5) Set-top box must be provided to consumer in all 3 options (i) outright purchase (ii) Hire purchase (iii) rental

6) For rental or Hire purchase(within hire period),modalities of returning set-top box should be clearly specified. Depreciation deduction must not exceed 25% per 6 months

7) Replacement of faulty set-top box for rental or hire purchase (within hire period) consumer should happen without any payment

8) Increase of rental of subscription package is prohibited for 6 months from the date of enrolment

9) Decrease of rental and migration of consumer to other subscription package is allowed at any time

10) Every broadcaster must publish the A-la-carte and bouquet rates of the channels in its website and submit the same to Authority

11) Broadcaster must initmate the Authority one month in advance about addition/deletion of channel or change in rates

12) Broadcaster intending to convert a channel from FTA to Pay mode should intimate Authority, publish in atleast 2 newspapers( one National and one Regional) , run scroll in the channel atleast one month in advance

13) Broadcaster must publish its rates(A-la-carte and Bouquet(if any)) in 2 national newspapers once in every 90 days

14) All retailing entities(Cable TV operators, DTH operators, IPTV operators, HITS operators, MSOs etc.,) must report all its rates (A-la-Carte rates, Bouquet rates, Set-top box rates(price, rent, hire rate)) to Authority one month prior to the date of change

source :: http://www.trai.gov.in/WriteReadData/trai/upload/TariffOrders/70/FinalTariffOrder21july.pdf

Kudos to TRAI

:clap:

We hope TRAI will be equally vigilant during the initial enforcement period

Edited January 11, 2011 by kesav

[Dushie 30]

Finally i will be able to pay and watch the selected 50 odd channels i want and not all the rubbish that comes on the box.

[ravi_patent 28]

now i understood about trai's order! kesav

Edited July 22, 2010 by ravi_patent

[Genius 817]

Good move TRAI

[parin 857]

[situ1962 21]

Really a very good move by trai.Now we are being compelled to pay for all channels although more than half of them are unwanted.Now we will be able to choose what we really want to watch.

[Greatest 55]

I just hope it is all carried out as TRAI has suggested.... good move btw..

[rbdhoot 11]

Great Move. I doubt will it be implemented ???

[KumaarShah 143]

AFAIK, the above order by TRAI is only for non CAS areas. For CAS areas, the status quo remains..... I read this on NDTV website. I will post the link later...

[kesav 127]

No....It applies for all addressable sytems irrespective of CAS or non-CAS areas.

Obviously CAS areas will only have addressable systems.

Edited July 22, 2010 by kesav

[csmart 472]

it should reduce the monthly out go.. tata charges Rs.20/- for a-ala carte..

[krishin.rajani 3]

good only when it is implemented..

[chintan1 6]

Indeed a good move ...pay as u watch . simple logic.

[KAPILKDEV 68]

Good move I am praying this rules will come in to action

[Honest 836]

Good Move by TRAI..!

Hope it will be implemented.

[kesav 127]

Below is the link to TRAI's press release on the subject.

Clarifications can be sought at the contact details mentioned in the bottom of the press release.

http://www.trai.gov.in/WriteReadData/trai/upload/PressReleases/743/PR22july2010.pdf

[kesav 127]

1st September 2010 is fast approaching.

Till date, there is no list of channels along with their A-la-Carte pricing in any of the Broadcasters' websites.

Hope TRAI is vigilant and monitoring the progress....

[ravi_patent 28]

@kesav

Broadcasters are planning for court room rather than our drawing rooms (media reports i have read make me belive so)

[kesav 127]

That's quite common in India, Whenever Regulator makes pro-consumer move, corporates will move to court to buy time.

It's time for Judiciary(read it as TDSAT/High Court/Supreme Court) to dismiss petitions from corporates if it's applied after 5 days from the date of issuance of respective orders from Regulator.

5 days is more than sufficient for corporates to frame their arguments if any.

Petitioning just 2 days before the date on which orders come to force is just obnoxious. It's done only with agenda of delaying the date of implementation.

It has to be dealt with seriously by the Judiciary.

[kesav 127]

1st September 2010 is fast approaching.

Citizens in CAS area (with settop box) and IPTV customers will be the first one to bear the fruits of A-la-Carte pricing of channels by 1st Sep 2010.

Hope few people in the forum will be of that category.

I wish one of them can share their happy moments in the mid of september so that DTH customers can get glimpse of what they will get by 1st Jan 2011.

Edited August 18, 2010 by kesav

[kesav 127]

Cap on broadcast tariffs effective from Oct 1, not Sept 1:TRAI

Earlier TRAI has made a notification that the cap will be effective from September 1, 2010

Broadcast regulator TRAI's tariff notification capping the rates charged by TV channel broadcasters from DTH and IPTV service providers at 35 per cent of the fee paid by normal cable operators will now be applicable from October 1.

Earlier, as per the notification issued by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on July 21, the rate cap was to be made effective from September 1, 2010.

However, during the proceedings of the Telecom Disputes and Settlement Appellate Tribunal today, where broadcaster have challenged TRAI's tariff notification, the counsel appearing for the sectoral regulator informed the tribunal that the rate cap would be applicable from October 1 only.

Senior advocate Meet Malhotra, appearing for TRAI, told the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) that the new tariffs would be effectively operational from October 1, 2010, only.

"The new tariff, between operators would become effective not before first week of October," said Malhotra in response to broadcasters' submission that the matter should be given an early hearing, as TRAI's new tariffs were to be implemented from September 1.

TRAI had on July 21 notified that a new wholesale tariff structure would be effective from September 1, as per which broadcasters could charge for channels at only 35 per cent of the rate they charged from normal cable operators while supplying TV channels to service providers across various platforms such as DTH, IPTV and HITS.

Earlier, the broadcasters were charging DTH, IPTV and HITS service providers for channels at 50 per cent of the rate applicable for cable TV operators.

The new tariff notification has been challenged by leading broadcasters, including ESPN Software India, MSM Discovery, Zee Turner and Star Den Media Services, before the tribunal.

The tribunal has directed TRAI to file its reply by September 6.

The broadcasters submitted that while fixing the tariff, TRAI has acted in arbitrary and unreasonable manner and did not consider the suggestions of the stakeholders.

The tribunal has fixed September 14 as the date for the next hearing.

source :: http://www.governancenow.com/gov-next/egov/cap-broadcast-tariffs-effective-oct-1-not-sept-1trai

It's really a sad news.

:'( :'( :'(

Hope TDSAT will instruct TRAI to implement the rules which are not contested effective from 1st September 2010.

Looking into the seriousness of the issue and its huge positive effect on customer's choice, TDSAT should give the judgement ASAP in favour of TRAI.

[kesav 127]

As per TRAI's orders, all the digital delivery platforms should have shifted to A-La-carte pricing of all channels effective from 1st September 2010 other than DTH platform(for DTH platform, waiver is available till 1st Jan 2011).

Below is the link to MyWay which works in IPTV platform along with BSNL/MTNL.

http://www.myway.in/packages_pricing.html

Look at its pricing, still it does not show A-La-Carte pricing of all its channels.

Is TRAI sleeping??????

:angry:

[KanagaDeepan 1,084]

TRAI is NOT sleeping.. If it is sleeping, we can atleast succeed in waking it up... It is acting like SLEEPING.. No hope in waking them up, imho...

[santhoshavanoor 7]

until now there is no change in BIG TV package and Sun Direct Package.

[kesav 127]

TRAI's DTH tariff orders not transparent: Broadcasters

The intensity of furors over the last month issued Tariff orders for DTH by the broadcast and telecom regulator TRAI doesn't seem to get fade with time as prominent players from the sector have once again showed their distress in front of TDSAT the broadcast tribunal.

Zee Turner along with Star Den Media Services allegedly blamed TRAI for its opacity in fixing of tariff for DTH and IPTV services before TDSAT. They demanded the consideration of advertisement fees also while deciding on the final tariff.

Senior advocate Ramji Srinivasan appearing for Star Den Media and Sun TV said that TRAI without fixing the tariff for non-CAS has fixed tariff for DTH sector.

TRAI had made it compulsory for all broadcasters to provide their channels through Direct to Home service in Conditional Access System (CAS) areas and IPTV provider at 35% of the corresponding rates for normal cable operators. Earlier, the broadcasters charged it at 50 per cent.

source :: http://www.mediamughals.com/News/1/1/Article/6254/TRAI

Let us all hope that TDSAT will dismiss this petition by broadcasters with contempt it deserves and pave the way for implementation of TRAI's pro-consumer oders at the earliest.

Let us pray that TDSAT will not play spoilsport in the billion people's hope of chosing channels which they want to see and pay for(read as retail AlaCarte pricing).................

Edited September 16, 2010 by kesav