New pricing scheme for television draws mixed reactions from users

BENGALURU: The new television pricing scheme, brought in by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) from February 1, has received mixed responses. While those who were paying a small sum for a bouquet of channels so far say their bills are likely to increase, those who opted for premium packages offered by DTH providers say their monthly spend will reduce.

For customers of local cable operators, the new rule is a disadvantage. Under the new pricing system, which allows for total customisation, users will have to shell out more money to watch their preferred channels because of an added expense of paying for a base pack.

“Earlier we paid `300 to watch 450 channels. Now the base pack is  `130 plus 18 per cent GST. The base pack includes devotional channels, which some of us don’t watch. Our bill has increased to `400,” said Chitra Satyanarayan, a cable TV user.

Sunaina Malli says that now they have to pay separately for regional packs, which is `180 extra. However, for subscribers of the premium packages, the new rules will mean lower bills. “I used to pay `1,250 per month. The base pack was `565 plus taxes. And extra charges included sports pack and english movie pack fees. Now, choosing broadcaster packs pan out to be cheaper than just choosing a la carté channels, which my DTH provider countered by doubling  their multi TV subscription rates. My monthly usage has come down to `813,” said Raghav Chandrasekar, a DTH user.

According to Patrick Raju, President of Cable TV Operators Association, the new rules was a ‘scam’ to make money from the people by increasing the rates.