KanagaDeepan 1,084 Report post Posted January 29, 2011 Pricing of channels will certainly differ from operator to operator.That's the beauty of the competition and A-la-Carte. Competition will automatically bring down the cost of the channels in due course. But what if the operators form Cartel, like in EV-DO and 3G data tariffs??? It's high time for TRAI to provide recommendations on set-top box portability. The complete benefit of A-la-Carte can only be realized by consumers when set-top boxes are portable across operators.Come on TRAI come on you can do it. Any OpenMarket SetTop box possible like the OMH phones??? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kesav 127 Report post Posted January 29, 2011 Cartel is very much possible with only 6 operators. I expect minimum of 12 operators so that at least we'll end up having 2 cartels. Competition can exist between cartels. The current problem is non-availability of transponders. Due to 2 successive failures of GSLV launch things have become really tough for increasing DTH players. In the recent consultation by TRAI on interoperability of set-top box, incumbents like TATA, Dish opposed it while new entrants like Airtel, Videocon welcomed it. The scenario which is very familiar for us (telecom watchers). After all who are they? TATA,Airtel,Videocon.....our own beloved telecom companies..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rajanmehta 4,056 Report post Posted January 29, 2011 Are interoperable set-top boxes mandatory anywhere in the world currently? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kesav 127 Report post Posted January 29, 2011 Dear Rajan, Answer for you may be present in the below consultation paper http://www.trai.gov.in/WriteReadData/trai/upload/ConsultationPapers/211/bandcsconsulta20agu.pdf Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
coolblue 10 Report post Posted January 29, 2011 Finally all the DTH operators have A-la-Carte pricing on their n/w. By analyzing the implementation methodology of different operators the following can be made out. Overall there are 3 types of packagings (1) Basic packages (2) Bouquets (3) A-la-Carte channels Airtel, Videocon & Reliance do not allow mixing of A-la-Carte channels with either basic packages or Bouquets. Only pure A-la-Carte is allowed. Sun & Dish mandate users to subscribe to any one of the basic packages before selecting A-la-Carte channels.No provision for pure A-la-Carte. They do not allow mixing A-la-Carte with Bouquets TATA Sky allows mixing subscription package with A-la-Carte channels. TATA also allows pure A-la-Carte channels. TATA does not allow mixing A-la-Carte with Bouquets Comparatively TATA Sky implementation is by far the best but still does not meet the true spirit of mixing A-la-Carte channels with bouquets. TRAI must intervene and make amendments in such a way bouquets can also be mixed with A-la-Carte channels. Is it logical to mandate a DTH operator that if he chooses to buy a channel from one broadcaster in A-la-Carte basis then he should buy all the channels from all broadcasters only in A-la-carte basis??? When DTH operators have the flexibility of mixing bouquets with A-la-Carte channels when they aggregate, why can't they pass on such benefit to consumers when they distribute??? :confuse: :confuse: LA Carte packages are a mere eyewash. I understand that due to subsidised set boxes and competetion dth operators are under tremendous pressure. Only dish tv has break even in its operations. Still, I would say that the channel pricing is very extravagant. If you compare these tariffs with cable in CAS areas, where each channel costs around Rs. 6, its too much. A hindi entertainment/ movie channel costs Rs. 20 on DTH and TLC costs around Rs. 30. If I subscribe 10 channels, it may cost me around Rs. 200. Even a news channel is charged at Rs. 5. If I take normal basic entry level pack I get around 100 channels of all generes with the same price in DTH and if I continue with my cable wallah, I get to see all pay channels he is beaming by paying around Rs. 300. This set up may suit people who take basic package and have to take additonal bouquets just a single channel which wasn't available in their basic package because of company's marketing strategy. DTH are being charged 50% of what the broadcasters charge the MSOs, so they could have done a better job. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rajanmehta 4,056 Report post Posted January 29, 2011 Dear Rajan, Answer for you may be present in the below consultation paper http://www.trai.gov....nsulta20agu.pdf Thanks. Gone through the whole paper but the answer is not there. But AFAIK nowhere in the world inter operable set top boxes are mandatory. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kesav 127 Report post Posted January 30, 2011 DTH are being charged 50% of what the broadcasters charge the MSOs, so they could have done a better job. A very valid point. TRAI should make note of it. Pricing in A-la-Carte may be is not the best at the moment. Certainly it'll fall in due course of time or if it does not fall TRAI will intervene and set the max cap for each genre. If inter-operable set-top boxes are not mandatory anywhere in the world then I'm really really happy. At least we've a chance to become the first country in the world to introduce the same and the rest of the world will follow suit. :GirandoOjos: The greatest advantage of being first country to adapt something new lies in making technology exactly meeting our Indian requirements instead of taking something from around the world and tweaking to meet our requirements. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kesav 127 Report post Posted April 18, 2011 (edited) SC stays TDSAT order; Broadcasters to charge DTH/IPTV/HITS operators at 42% of Cable Operators charge The Supreme Court today stayed the order of the broadcast tribunal TDSAT setting aside Trai's notification fixing 35 per cent of the rates paid by cable operators for TV channels and raised the same to 42 per cent. A bench comprising justices R V Raveendran and A K Patnaik stayed the order of the Telecom Disputes Settlement & Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT), which had set aside Trai's notification of July 21, fixing the price. Passing an order on December 16, 2010, TDSAT had set aside sectoral regulator Trai's notification mandating that broadcasters charge from DTH and IPTV providers only up to 35 per cent of rates paid by cable operators for their channels. However, the bench today increased the price band and fixed it to 42 per cent of the cable price to be charged by the broadcasters from the DTH operators. The bench also added that the agreements between DTH operators and broadcasters, which are already in place, shall prevail. The apex courts' direction came over a petition filed by Trai, challenging TDSAT's order. Broadcasters were earlier charging DTH operators half of what they got from cable operators. On July 21, Trai had notified that a new wholesale tariff structure would be effective from September 1, 2010, whereby broadcasters can charge only at 35 per cent of rates that they charged from normal cable operators while supplying service providers on platforms such as DTH, IPTV and HITS. On August 23, leading broadcasters, including Zee Turner, Viacom 18 Media and Sun TV and Star Den Media Services had moved TDSAT challenging Trai's tariff order to cap wholesale price of channels to service providers like DTH and IPTV at 35 per cent of rates for normal cable operators. In separate petitions filed with TDSAT, ESPN Software India, MSM Discovery, Zee Turner and Star Den Media Services said the Trai tariff was not commercially viable. The broadcasters had submitted that while fixing the tariff, Trai had acted in an arbitrary and unreasonable manner and did not consider the suggestions of the stakeholders. Broadcasters offer cheaper rates to operators like DTH and IPTV as they can ascertain the number of subscribers of these players, which is not the case with cable services where under-reporting is believed to be very high. source:: http://profit.ndtv.com/news/show/sc-stays-tdsat-order-raises-rates-for-dth-operators-149881 SC has settled at the half-way mark between the existing rate of 50% and the TRAI's recommendation of 35%. (50+35)/2 = 42. 5 ~= 42 Let us hope DTH operators will pass on this benefit to end customers. Many may call this hope as tooooo optimistic.... Edited April 18, 2011 by kesav Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kesav 127 Report post Posted April 27, 2011 OFF-TOPIC but related..... US wants India to have free satellite policy for DTH MUMBAI: Direct-to-home (DTH) operators in India have found support from outside home. Saddled with high entertainment taxes and transponder space crunch, they have always complained that the Indian government has not incentivised this 'sunrise' sector. Now the US wants India to have a free policy on the leasing of satellite space to the DTH operator. In a report, the US Trade Representative (USTR) has stated that it will "encourage" India to amend its policies which assigns exclusive rights to the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) for selling the satellite capacity to the DTH television market. USTR has raised concerns over India not allowing foreign operators to participate in direct selling of satellite capacity to the DTH market, reported PTI. The American report has also blamed India for "lack of transparency in the rules governing the provisions of satellite capacity". It said foreign operators are needed to first sell the capacity to India's domestic satellite operator, the Isro, which resells the same to the DTH customers and maintains ownership of the customers. The report stated that a similar situation prevails in China, adding that the USTR "will encourage these countries to consider changes to their respective frameworks". On data encryption requirement for the telecom equipment, the US trade office would ask India to devise a policy which does not deviate from "commonly accepted or best practices". The report said the US concerns are in the wake of apprehensions over India's stringent and burdensome encryption requirements. "The USTR will continue to engage India to seek ways to ensure US telecommunication companies can effectively protect information, while also respecting security concerns of the Indian government," PTI quoted from the report. source :: http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k11/apr/apr176.php Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kesav 127 Report post Posted April 30, 2011 I&B Ministry wants to raise FDI to help digitisation NEW DELHI: The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has decided to make changes in the foreign direct investment (FDI) policy to aid the process of digitisation. In its Strategy Plan of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry 2011-17, the Ministry noted that it will make appropriate policy formulations to increase FDI in order to meet the expenditure on digitalisation. It will also work with the Finance Ministry for devising incentives for digitalisation such as reduction of custom duties and tax holiday on digital equipment. In the report, the Ministry noted that out of the 106 million Cable and Satellite homes in the country, 26 million are DTH and 80 million are cable homes. Thus 74 per cent of TV subscribers in India are depending on cable networks for entertainment. Since cable networks have limited carriage capacity of channels, it is imperative that the cable sector be entirely digitalised as number of channels is growing at a rapid pace. Meanwhile, for Doordarshan, the Strategy Plan says the telecaster plans to produce 15,067 episodes for various channels in the next three years. Of this, 12,400 episodes will be made in-house and 2,667 episodes commissioned through outside producers. DD will develop and improve content delivery to the rest of the world on essentially four channels, DD News, DD Sports, DD Bharati and DD India. Doordarshan is presently operating 35 satellite channels and has a network of 66 studios and 1415 transmitters providing TV coverage to about 92 per cent population of the country. The Government has also decided to formulate policy guidelines for provision of Mobile TV services in India as mobile screen is becoming the fourth screen to the consumers after cinema, TV and computers across the world. The ministry believes that the mobile "is the best platform for delivering the benefits of television and mobile communications in one device." source :: http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k11/apr/apr184.php Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kesav 127 Report post Posted June 15, 2011 (edited) If inter-operable set-top boxes are not mandatory anywhere in the world then I'm really really happy. At least we've a chance to become the first country in the world to introduce the same and the rest of the world will follow suit. :GirandoOjos: The greatest advantage of being first country to adapt something new lies in making technology exactly meeting our Indian requirements instead of taking something from around the world and tweaking to meet our requirements. TDSAT blames govt for DTH portability delay New Delhi: In what may come as a surprise, it is the government and not the private DTH operators which is responsible for the lack of interoperability among the various DTH set-top boxes. Further, thanks to inaction on the part of the government and the regulator, private DTH firms have continued to violate the licensing conditions over the past eight years. Taking a critical note of the Union government’s functioning in the broadcast sector, the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) has said that due to lack of active policy initiatives by both the information and broadcasting ministry and the sector regulator — Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) — millions of DTH consumers today have no choice but to become slaves of their respective DTH service providers. Besides, all operators have been allowed to violate the DTH licensing conditions. The tribunal has given 180 days to the government to clear its stand and take corrective action. Out of these 180 days, Trai will get 120 days to make fresh recommendations and the I&B ministry 60 days to act on them. “It must be held that the government has allowed breach of licence conditions to take place,” TDSAT said in its judgment in a case filed by a Chennai-based NGO against the Union government over non-interoperability among the DTH boxes. FE was first to report this last year. TDSAT noted that the DTH licensing conditions made it mandatory for all DTH service providers to offer only those set-top boxes which were interoperable, both commercially and technically. However, as the DTH licensing conditions are only for MPEG-2 boxes (offered by Dish TV, Tata Sky and DD Direct Plus) and not for the MPEG-4 boxes (Airtel digital TV, Reliance Big TV, Sun Direct and Videocon D2H), both the I&B ministry and Trai did not act on them and allowed the violations of Clause 7.1 of the DTH licensing conditions. In its recent judgment, TDSAT said: “It is a matter of concern that the government (I&B ) took two years and four months to make its comments on the Trai recommendations on interoperability and then sent them back.” Commenting on Trai’s role, it said: “It is difficult to comprehend that keeping in view the interest of the consumers, Trai had not been keeping a watch on the websites of the operators. The regulations having been made in this behalf as back as in 2007, it was expected that steps be taken for seeing that its recommendations are implemented. We are of the opinion that Trai should be asked to do so.” The tribunal also observed that Trai did not keep a tab on the private DTH companies which failed to inform consumers that their boxes could be obtained in three ways – outright purchase, hire-purchase and rentals — and that consumers could return the boxes in case they wanted to change their DTH operator. Interoperability in DTH simply means that a consumer can access the services of any other DTH operator without changing his existing set-top box. While the law mandates portability, in practice, none of the six private DTH firms have offered interoperable boxes to their 37 million-plus subscribers source :: http://www.financialexpress.com/news/tdsat-blames-govt-for-dth-portability-delay/803622/ Edited June 15, 2011 by kesav Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
