ITV

Category: DTH Operator

  • TRAI vs Independent TV: DTH operator questioned by regulator over consumer complaints

    TRAI vs Independent TV: DTH operator questioned by regulator over consumer complaints

    MUMBAI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has asked DTH operator Independent TV to provide information related to pending refund of consumers due to non-provision of services. It has five days to respond to the regulator.

    In its recent notification, TRAI directed independent TV to ensure the compliance of various provisions of the new regulatory framework for broadcasting and cable TV services. The authority has asked the DTH operator to give information on the following issues for the six months up to 30 June 2019:

    a) How many connection requests are pending beyond seven days after receipt of payments/subscription from the consumers?

    b) How many complaints are still pending regarding refund not provided?

    c) In how many cases the refund has been provided to the consumer due to non-provision of services despite collecting the money in advance? Give the number of cases along with the amount refunded.

    d) Whether any channel has been removed from your platform without giving prior intimation to the consumer.

    e) Whether the services have been resumed after the blackout issue.

    f) Whether any rebate has been provided to the affected subscribers during the blackout period. If yes, how much rebate has been provided?

    In its direction to Independent TV, the authority informed that it has received numerous consumer complaints wherein the subscribers have complained that Independent TV has discontinued channels opted for by the subscribers and that the operator is neither providing services to the consumers despite collecting the money in advance nor any refund has been made to the consumers.

    The company was launched in 2018 and was active in the state of Uttar Pradesh and had 26 distributors in just Meerut and Saharanpur division. It had more than 90 thousand subscribers in the division.

    Independent TV’s services were supposed to resume on 3 July. The company’s case is pending in the TDSAT. The authority had ordered Independent TV to clear its dues to Antrix by 12 June or face disconnection.

  • Independent TV questioned by TRAI over pending refund of consumers

    Independent TV questioned by TRAI over pending refund of consumers

    MUMBAI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has asked DTH operator Independent TV to provide information related to pending refund of consumers due to non-provision of services. It has five days to respond to the regulator.

    In its recent notification, TRAI directed independent TV to ensure the compliance of various provisions of the new regulatory framework for broadcasting and cable TV services. The authority has asked the DTH operator to give information on the following issues for the six months up to 30 June 2019:

    a) How many connection requests are pending beyond seven days after receipt of payments/subscription from the consumers?

    b) How many complaints are still pending regarding refund not provided?

    c) In how many cases the refund has been provided to the consumer due to non-provision of services despite collecting the money in advance? Give the number of cases along with the amount refunded.

    d) Whether any channel has been removed from your platform without giving prior intimation to the consumer.

    e) Whether the services have been resumed after the blackout issue.

    f) Whether any rebate has been provided to the affected subscribers during the blackout period. If yes, how much rebate has been provided?

    In its direction to Independent TV, the authority informed that it has received numerous consumer complaints wherein the subscribers have complained that Independent TV has discontinued channels opted for by the subscribers and that the operator is neither providing services to the consumers despite collecting the money in advance nor any refund has been made to the consumers.

    The company was launched in 2018 and was active in the state of Uttar Pradesh and had 26 distributors in just Meerut and Saharanpur division. It had more than 90 thousand subscribers in the division.

    Independent TV’s services were supposed to resume on 3 July. The company’s case is pending in the TDSAT. The authority had ordered Independent TV to clear its dues to Antrix by 12 June or face disconnection.

  • Dish TV introduces ‘Ayushmaan Active’ service for senior citizens

    Dish TV introduces ‘Ayushmaan Active’ service for senior citizens

    MUMBAI: Dish TV India Limited, world’s largest single-country DTH Company, introduces the first-of-its-kind value added service- ‘Ayushmaan Active’ in association with Dominiche Productions  to offer unique and engaging content to the senior citizen viewers on both of its brands; DishTV and d2h. Exclusively available on both the platforms for 45 days starting July 16th, this is the first ever service dedicated to engage and motivate seniors and enjoy meaningful TV time. 

    Empowering senior citizens to take charge of their lives and make informed decisions, the service provides users to scroll through nostalgic music, Bollywood movies and knowledge on healthy living and wellness. Under the ‘Ayushmaan Active’ service, senior citizens will have access to shows like Bhakti Bhav, Aap Ka Sathi, Kick Start 60 and Majani life.Further, to make weekends exciting for binge watching, the service brings special series of Sada Bahar Geet on every Saturday and Sunday along with a classic movie from the 60’s, 70’s & 80’s era. With ad free 24*7 service platform, Dish TV aims to bring zest amongst senior citizens by offering shows across genres from devotional and entertainment to financial planning, wellness and philosophical.

    Announcing the new service, Mr. Anil Dua, Executive Director & Group CEO, Dish TV India Limited, said, “Being the leader in the DTH industry, we aim at providing engaging content for our viewers, irrespective of their age. Therefore, we are excited to offer the ‘Ayushmaan Active’ service, which will cater to the viewing needs of the senior citizens. This service will be a one-stop destination of all the content, which will keep our senior viewers entertained, motivated and updated. This service/ addition stands as a witness to Dish TV’s continuous drive to cater to all sections of its wide range of viewers.”

    Adarsh Gupta, Director, Dominiche Productions, said, “Dominiche was founded with a vision to be the market leader in scalable genres of the future. In keeping with that strategy, our second genre after Astrology is going to cater to exclusive compelling content created with the objective of enhancing the quality of life of Senior Citizens in our country. This category is fast speeding towards being 20 percent of the population of India and growing, with no dedicated content machine catering to it.”

    Ayushmaan Active’ service will be available on channel no. 130 on Dish TV and d2h at a nominal subscription price of Rs.40+ taxes per month post applicable free preview period.

  • Dish TV brings back lock-in period

    Dish TV brings back lock-in period

    MUMBAI: Leading DTH player Dish TV has reintroduced lock-in periods for both a-la-carte channels as well as packs. The a-la-carte channels have a lock-in period of 30 days while the packs range from 30-360 days.

    A few months ago Dish TV had launched the lock-in period but had to call it off after people gave negative feedback. It hasn’t revealed the reason for reintroducing it. It isn’t clear yet whether the limitation of a lock-in period is in violation of TRAI norms.

    The changes are visible on both the website and the app. All packs show a lock-in period expect one particular south pack.

    Tata Sky had also announced a similar lock-in period but quickly reverted.

  • Tata Sky reveals NCF of Rs 153 for secondary STB connection

    Tata Sky reveals NCF of Rs 153 for secondary STB connection

    MUMBAI: Days after removing the multi-system policy on a secondary TV connection, DTH operator Tata Sky has announced new changes. The secondary set top boxes for TV connections will now be priced with an NCF of Rs 153.

    In comparison, other operators aren’t charging more than Rs 80. With this, customers will be able to choose new channels on the secondary set top box (STB). Till now, Tata Sky was in violation of TRAI’s policy because additional STBs were showing the same channels that were chosen on the main STB.

    On the other hand, single connection users have it cheaper now with the rollout of Tata Sky Room TV which allows people to pick out single channels.

    Recently, Tata Sky reduced the price of its STBs. The new prices of SD and SD STBs were Rs 1399 and Rs 1499 respectively. The earlier rates were Rs 1600 and Rs 1800. This was done at the same time as other players also dropping their rates.

  • Tata Sky decreases price of SD and HD set top boxes

    Tata Sky decreases price of SD and HD set top boxes

    MUMBAI: In a bid to woo customers DTH player Tata Sky has slashed the prices of its set-top boxes (STB) again. The new price of SD STBs is Rs 1399 and that of HD STBs has dropped to Rs 1499, according to reports.

    Previously, the SD variant of Tata Sky STB was available for Rs 1600 whereas the HD variant was available for Rs 1800. Moreover, as compared to the other players in the space, the price of Tata Sky’s STB was higher, thus the player made a move to decrease its prices.

    About 10 days ago, rival Dish TV had also reduced the prices of its STBs by Rs 50 and was also offering a month-long free HD connection.

    Recently, Tata Sky had discontinued its multi-TV policy and so consumers had to pay a full new cost for a new STB in the same house.

    Months after it launched its multi-TV app, the DTH operator had discontinued the feature from 15 June and every TV connection was to be billed separately. Even as Tata Sky decided to revert to its previous mode of operation, other DTH operators went the other way by launching offers for multiple TV sets, in line with TRAI regulations. The DTH operator did not reveal the reason for the shift.

  • Independent TV’s suspended DTH service to resume after 3 July

    Independent TV’s suspended DTH service to resume after 3 July

    MUMBAI: While DTH provider Independent TV Network abruptly shut its services recently, the service is expected to resume only after 3 July as per an update on the website.  Earlier, the DTH operator said it was expected to resume after 22 June.

    “Dear customers, the decision on resumption of our satellite services is pending in the TDSAT court. We shall update on further developments, post the outcome of the court hearing already scheduled for 2nd July 2019. We appreciate your patience,” a message on website read.

    Recently, the Telecom Disputes Settlement Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) had ordered it to clear its dues to Antrix Corporation by 12 June or else face a disconnection. It had to pay Rs 9 crore to Antrix or Rs 15 crore in the form of a bank guarantee.

    It is likely that the DTH operator was unable to pay as per the court order and hence Antrix disconnected its signal. The matter will further come up for hearing on 2 July.

    The DTH provider is a property of Garvit Innovative Promoters Ltd. If reports are to be believed, the distributors are now contemplating to approach TRAI and Ministry of Corporate Affairs against the company and its directors including Sachin Bhati.

    The company was launched in 2018 and was active in the state of Uttar Pradesh and had 26 distributors in just Meerut and Saharanpur division. It had more than 90 thousand subscribers in the division.

  • The Q India premieres on DishTV’s ‘Watcho’

    The Q India premieres on DishTV’s ‘Watcho’

    MUMBAI: QYOU Media (TSXV:QYOU; OTCQB: QYOUF) announced its partnership with Watcho, the newly launched OTT platform by India’s largest direct-to-home (DTH) TV operator Dish TV, to bring The Q India’s 24/7 linear stream of digital-first content to its subscribers. This is the fifth distribution deal for The Q India and reinforces the regional appetite for premium short form video content.

    India is home to almost half a billion young Indians aged between 20 – 30. Raised in the digital era, this tech-savvy demographic is always connected, always on and wants to consume digital content whenever and wherever they are. Dish TV’s unique OTT platform –Watcho aims to target this high-value age bracket by offering over 1,000 hours of short-form content, including original shows, movies and short films. As part of Watcho’s commitment to offer fresh and dynamic programming that speaks to young Indians, it chose to add The Q India to its line-up.   

    Akash Tyagi, Head OTT, Dish TV India Limited, said, “What sets Watcho apart from other services is that it was specifically created with young Indians in mind. This generation is actively seeking out exciting content from the internet, and we saw there was a huge opportunity to connect and engage with them more effectively by bringing the very best of it onto one platform. We’re always looking for new ways to make our service as relevant and engaging as possible, and The Q India will enrich our offering by enabling us to showcase some of the most talented influencers and content creators the region has to offer.”

    The Q India is a 24/7 linear service featuring premium curated content that launched in December 2017 and is aimed at young Indians. The service has established content partnerships that include some of the most influential and prolific digital content creators in India, including popular web-series: What The Folks and Ms. Malini as well as curated episodes from leading digital production houses in India, such as 101 India, Pocket Aces and Nirvana Digital.

    Commenting on the partnership, Curt Marvis, CEO and co-founder of QYOU Media, said, “We’ve always recognized that there is a huge appetite in India for more youth focused programming and services. It is fantastic to see a DTH company like Dish TV aligned with our thinking to create a unique platform with young Indians in mind. Watcho, new OTT platform is building an exciting library of content that focuses on storytelling that’s perfect for multi-platform consumption, so it is a great honor for The Q India to be a part of it. We couldn’t be more excited about Watcho subscribers now being able to benefit from The Q India’s deep ties to the creator community in India and our ability to find, curate, and amplify some of the most exciting digital-first and short-form entertainment creators in India today.”

  • DD Free Dish has 3.5 crore subscribers: Prakash Javadekar

    DD Free Dish has 3.5 crore subscribers: Prakash Javadekar

    MUMBAI: Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar on Saturday stated that DD Free Dish was the biggest direct-to-home (DTH) operator in the country with 3.5 crore connections.

    "There are five to six major operators and they put together have 5.5 crore connections. The biggest DTH operator in the country is Doordarshan with 3.5 crore DTH connections where we are giving free Dish," he said.

    The minister also added that India will soon become the largest country in the world where every household has a television set.

    "There is a new dream that every household will have a TV in the coming years. There are 25 crore households in India and 18 crore have a TV set. There are still seven crore households without a TV," Javadekar was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

    Javadekar made the comments during a program to launch distribution of Free Dish set top boxes in Kashmir. On the occasion, a signature tune for Doordarshan's satellite channel for Jammu and Kashmir DD Kashir too was unveiled.

    "Today, we are making a small beginning in which we are giving set top boxes of free Dish TV for people living in far-flung areas and to poor people. However, as soon as our economy develops people will buy a TV as soon as they are able to address the six basic needs of food, clothing, shelter, healthcare, education and livelihood," the Minister explained.

    Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh said free DTH connections will help in flow of information in regions that are not well connected.

    "People in border areas will get some relief. They will get an avenue of entertainment and the information that should reach them," Singh said.

    The Lok Sabha MP from Udhampur said the Dogri bulletin on DD Kashir satellite channel was a long pending demand of people in Jammu.

    "Steps have been taken for promotion of Kashmiri language from time to time but similar steps for Dogri were delayed. Both Kashmiri and Dogri are rich but underrated languages," he said.

    Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik said the distribution of Free Dish STBs would also prevent people from falling prey to fake news and false propaganda.

  • Free DD Free Dish STBs distributed in J&K

    Free DD Free Dish STBs distributed in J&K

    MUMBAI: Union Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate and Information & Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar and Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Development of North East Region; Minister of State PMO; Minister of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions; Department of Atomic Energy; Department of Space Jitendra Singh on Saturday launched a spectrum of initiatives for the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

    In a vibrant launch ceremony held at SKICC, Srinagar Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Satya Pal Malik and both the ministers in presence of other dignitaries distributed Doordarshan’s Free Dish Set Top Boxes (STBs) in Jammu and Kashmir besides launching half an hour Dogri programme and News Bulletin from DD Kashir and the signature tune of the channel.

    The STBs will be provided free of cost and the audience will be able to view 100 channels for free.

    Addressing the gathering, Javadekar appreciated the efforts of the MIB especially Doordarshan for reaching out to the public in border areas to disseminate the message of information, education and entertainment.

    He said that after the basic necessities, information and entertainment are the most important needs of the people and the central government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is taking all the steps to reach out to the people to ensure these facilities.

    Lauding the role of All India Radio, the minister said that PM Modi has very ably utilised the services of such medium through Mann Ki Baat which has now become very popular.

    Javadekar said that Doordarshan and All India Radio have credibility which gives these channels an edge over the others who sometimes get carried away with rumours. Doordarshan is an institution of trust, he further added.

    MoS PMO Jitendra Singh appreciated the efforts taken by Doordarshan to reach out to the people throughout the country. The launch of Dogri programme and news bulletin will go a long way in bringing sense of pride and oneness among the people. He termed Doordarshan as a single channel that can bring hearts together.

    Governor of Jammu & Kashmir Satya Pal Malik while addressing the audience said that the people living in border areas will surely get benefitted with this initiative. The problems of the youth of the state need to be addressed in order to bring in peace and prosperity in the region. He impressed upon Doordarshan and All India Radio to keep spreading out to the remotest of corners to provide information to the last mile.

    Chairman, Prasar Bharati A Surya Prakash, while addressing the audience highlighted the qualities of DD Free Dish DTH and termed it as the tools of empowerment. He laid emphasis on the commitment of the Government to bring peace and prosperity across the region.

    Secretary, Information & Broadcasting Amit Khare, director general, Doordarshan Supriya Sahu, chief secretary, Government of Jammu and Kashmir BVR Subrahmanyam and other State and Central Government officials were also present on the occasion.

    The news bulletin will be telecast daily at 6 pm on DD Kashir in digital mode. The signature tune, which resonates with the spirit of the valley, has been composed by Rahul Sharma.