Show-caused, DTH operator falls in line with Trai order
Pankaj Doval | TNN | Jan 25, 2019, 04:33 IST
Representative imageNEW DELHI: DTH operator Tata Sky finally agreed to Trai's latest broadcast tariff rules, and said that it has initiated the process that guides customers to migrate to the new regime.
The company's nod comes after it was reprimanded by regulator Trai, and served a show-cause notice, for "lack of initiative" in informing its subscribers of the new broadcast tariff regime.
"The law of the land is always complied with, and we are ready to assist our customers with the migration," Tata Sky CEO Harit Nagpal told TOI. "There may have been difference of opinion, but that does not mean we would be non- complaint."
Asked whether customer tariffs will come down in the new set-up, Nagpal said it is difficult to provide any guidance at this point in time.
Trai chairman RS Sharma, the man ushering in the new tariff regime, has emphasised that the new set-up will ease monthly TV bills as it will allow customers to make a-la-carte choice in selection of channels, and "pay for only the content you want to watch." The Trai chairman said that in the existing regime, cable and DTH operators have been "unloading unnecessary channels" on customers through bouquets.
Broadcasters have cut individual channel prices heavily in the run-up to the new regime, and it is expected that bills may come down "if customers make informed choice" during channel selection.
Nagpal said that Tata Sky will ensure that transparency is maintained in customer selection and "they get to pay for what they want to watch. " Surprisingly, Tata Sky is still offering customers an option to receive content "in line with the existing bouquets" they have subscribed for. "I have 400 types of packs. In the new regime, we are creating shadow packs of the existing packs." Asked whether he expected the number of channels that a household subscribes for to come down, Nagpal said, "I cannot speculate here."
Sources in Trai said that they are "maintaining a close watch" on Tata Sky's migration initiatives and how it is assisting the customers in the transition. "We do not want any inconvenience to the customers of Tata Sky, especially as the migration process is beginning late," a senior official said.
The company's nod comes after it was reprimanded by regulator Trai, and served a show-cause notice, for "lack of initiative" in informing its subscribers of the new broadcast tariff regime.
"The law of the land is always complied with, and we are ready to assist our customers with the migration," Tata Sky CEO Harit Nagpal told TOI. "There may have been difference of opinion, but that does not mean we would be non- complaint."
Asked whether customer tariffs will come down in the new set-up, Nagpal said it is difficult to provide any guidance at this point in time.
Trai chairman RS Sharma, the man ushering in the new tariff regime, has emphasised that the new set-up will ease monthly TV bills as it will allow customers to make a-la-carte choice in selection of channels, and "pay for only the content you want to watch." The Trai chairman said that in the existing regime, cable and DTH operators have been "unloading unnecessary channels" on customers through bouquets.
Broadcasters have cut individual channel prices heavily in the run-up to the new regime, and it is expected that bills may come down "if customers make informed choice" during channel selection.
Nagpal said that Tata Sky will ensure that transparency is maintained in customer selection and "they get to pay for what they want to watch. " Surprisingly, Tata Sky is still offering customers an option to receive content "in line with the existing bouquets" they have subscribed for. "I have 400 types of packs. In the new regime, we are creating shadow packs of the existing packs." Asked whether he expected the number of channels that a household subscribes for to come down, Nagpal said, "I cannot speculate here."
Sources in Trai said that they are "maintaining a close watch" on Tata Sky's migration initiatives and how it is assisting the customers in the transition. "We do not want any inconvenience to the customers of Tata Sky, especially as the migration process is beginning late," a senior official said.
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