ITV

Category: Regulators

  • TRAI telecom data shows rise in broadband subscribers in Dec 2019

    TRAI telecom data shows rise in broadband subscribers in Dec 2019

    The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released the telecom subscription data as on December 2019. As per the reports received from 341 operators in the month of December, 2019, the number of broadband subscribers increased from 661.27 million at the end of November 2019 to 661.94 million at the end of December 2019 with a monthly growth rate of 0.10%.

    Top five service providers constituted 98.98% market share of the total broadband subscribers at the end of December 2019. These service providers were Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd (370.87 million), Bharti Airtel (140.40 million), Vodafone Idea (118.45 million), BSNL (23.96 million) and Atria Convergence (1.52 million).

    As on 31st December, 2019, the top five Wired Broadband Service providers were BSNL (8.39 million), Bharti Airtel (2.42 million), Atria Convergence Technologies (1.52 million), Hathway Cable & Datacom (0.90 million) and Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd (0.86 million).

    As on 31 December 2019, the top five Wireless Broadband Service providers were Reliance Jio Infocom Ltd (370.02 million), Bharti Airtel (137.98 million), Vodafone Idea (118.43 million), BSNL (15.56 million) and MTNL (0.20 million).

    There is, however, a decline in the number of telephone subscribers. It has declined from 1,175.88 million at the end of Nov-19 to 1,172.44 million at the end of Dec-19, thereby showing a monthly decline rate of 0.29%.

    Urban telephone subscription declined from 665.99 million at the end of Nov-19 to 662.45 million at the end of Dec-19, and the rural subscription increased from 509.89 million to 509.99 million during the same period.

    Wireline subscribers declined from 21.29 million at the end of Nov-19 to 21.00 million at the end of Dec-19. Net decline in the wireline subscriber base was 0.29 million with a monthly decline rate of 1.34%. The share of urban and rural subscribers in total wireline subscribers were 87.95% and 12.05% respectively at the end of Dec-19.

    BSNL and MTNL, the two PSU access service providers, held 60.47% of the wireline market share as on 31 December, 2019. The Overall Wireline Tele-density declined from 1.61 at the end of Nov-19 to 1.59 at the end of Dec-19. Urban and Rural Wireline Tele-density were 4.36 and 0.28 respectively during the same period.

  • Bombay HC to hear petitions against TRAI order

    Bombay HC to hear petitions against TRAI order

    MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court will hear on 26 February a petition filed by the Digital Cable Operators Association of Mumbai (DCOAM) and Maharashtra Cable Operations Foundation (MCOF), challenging the 'arbitrary' rules introduced by the TRAI.

    They challenged before the High Court the network capacity fee (NCF) implemented by TRAI under the NTO-2 regime. The operators’ main contention was with regard to the NCF cap of Rs 160/month fixed by TRAI and additional TV connections and discounts. The petitioners claimed that the NTO would hinder their basic right to do business.

    The court has set aside the matter for hearing for Wednesday.

    Adv Rahul Soman, who appeared for the operators, contended that the TRAI has not fixed an upper limit for extra channels. So, the situation is such that customers can demand any number of channels, which will hamper the cable operators’ business, argued the lawyer.

    A lot of stakeholders, in addition to some individuals, have moved various high courts in the country, challenging the TRAI’s new price regime. They include various broadcasters and bodies like the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF).

    Early this year, TRAI stipulated 200 channels for a NCF of Rs 160. The regulator has also directed the DPOs not to charge more than the stipulated monthly charge of Rs 160 for providing all the available channels.  

  • TRAI directs broadcasters, DPOs to publish updated NTO 2.0 prices

    TRAI directs broadcasters, DPOs to publish updated NTO 2.0 prices

    MUMBAI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has asked broadcasters and distribution platform operators (DPOs) to take necessary steps to ensure a smooth rollout of the amended new tariff order from 1 March. Both broadcasters and distribution platform operators (DPOs)  have also been directed to publish required information on their website to provide consumers sufficient time to exercise their choice of channels and bouquets before the implementation.

    After TRAI came out with the amendments to the new price regime, stakeholders across the industry raised voice against that. There are several petitions pending in the high courts challenging the order. However, the latest directive from TRAI reaffirms that it is firm on rolling out the order.

    The authority also stated that many broadcasters have neither reported nor published the requisite information regarding the changes. It also added that it has been observed from the information available on the websites of many broadcasters that most of the existing bouquets of pay channels are not in compliance with the provisions of the amendments.

    TRAI also pointed out that quite a few DPOs have also not published the required information on their website nor composition of new bouquets compliant to the changes.

    “Further, to ensure that consumers at large are kept fully appraised, all concerned are required to ensure that information about all such existing bouquets which do not conform to the provisions of Tariff Order 2020 and which shall not be available for the consumers on or after 1st March 2020 may be suitably indicated on their website,” TRAI stated.

  • NTO 2.0: Bombay High Court adjourns case to 26 Feb

    NTO 2.0: Bombay High Court adjourns case to 26 Feb

    MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court has adjourned the ongoing case between the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and broadcasters on the new tariff order (NTO) to 26 February. During the last hearing , no interim relief had been granted.

    Last time, the advocate for TRAI made a statement at the very beginning that the arguments should be based only on the petition and not on the rejoinder. Countering that, the advocate for Film & TV Producers Guild of India stated that there is nothing new in the rejoinder and everything is available in public domain.

    He also touched upon the point of the newly imposed twin conditions levied in the amendment of new tariff order where one condition is the cap of Rs 12 in a bouquet, the other being the discount on channel bouquets to around 33 per cent.

    Earlier, broadcasters were giving higher discounts pursuant to cross subsidies available by including smaller channels in its bouquets, which was totally in favour of consumers. He argued that if a consumer has to watch the so-called popular/niche channels (terms used by TRAI), he has to pay a higher price and it will increase his monthly bill.

    He also continued that although they do not come under the direct purview of TRAI, the amendments in the tariff order can affect their revenue. As the regulatory body has put a cap of Rs 12 on pay channel that can be included in a bouquet, the broadcaster cannot charge more than Rs 12 for that pay channel in a bouquet.

    The broadcaster has to pay huge amount to acquire content. Due to the regulations, if the broadcaster is not able to include it in a bouquet, it may prefer not to acquire such high priced content. Moreover, if broadcasters can not acquire quality content, the customer will lose.

    While broadcasters have the flexibility to decide the price of its pay channel and the customer should be able to view quality content on his TV, both these conditions are violated by the order.

    Last month, the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) along with others has filed a writ petition in the Bombay High Court against the TRAI order. The petitioners mentioned that the as amendments which has been notified in “consumer interest," will have exactly the opposite effect, leading to crippling of the business of broadcasters and ultimate suffering of the consumer.

  • No plan to levy 10% licence fee on b’casters, cable ops: I&B Min

    No plan to levy 10% licence fee on b’casters, cable ops: I&B Min

    MUMBAI: The Minister Of Information and Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar has made it clear in a parliamentary response that the ministry does not intend to add any sort of 10 per cent licence fee on broadcasters and cable operators in India.

    His response came for a question that asked if the minister had an intention to do so on the lines of what it follows for the DTH industry. Currently, DTH operators need to pay 10 per cent of their gross revenue as annual licence fee.

    The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in a recommendation, last year, mentioned that this 10 per cent should be brought down to 8 per cent of adjusted gross revenue rather than gross revenue.

    The minister also mentioned there is no central register that maintains industry-wise information regarding licence fees.

  • Budget 2020: I&B Ministry allocation raised by over Rs 310 crore this fiscal

    Budget 2020: I&B Ministry allocation raised by over Rs 310 crore this fiscal

    MUMBAI: Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her second budget announced Rs 4375.21 crore for the Ministry Of Information And Broadcasting (MIB) for the financial year 2020-21, Press Trust of India report said. The revised budget estimate for the last fiscal was Rs 4064.76 crore.

    The finance minister has increased the funds to MIB by Rs 310 crore over the previous fiscal year. The allocation for Prasar Bharati has remained at Rs 2889.36 crore, same as the revised estimate of last financial year.

    The allocation, in the budget, for broadcasting under the social services has been upped to Rs 3218.56 crore from Rs 3067.26 crore in FY20. Meanwhile, a total of Rs 967.29 crore is allocated for information and publicity.

    The minister raised the allocation for the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune to Rs 49.4 crore from Rs 30.87 crore in 2019-20, and has doubled the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) funds to Rs 61.30 crore in FY21 from Rs 25.69 crore in the last fiscal.

    Hailing the budget 2020 as most pragmatic, union information and broadcasting minister Prakash Javadekar said that India has not only managed a good growth rate but is also marching towards a better rate, adding that the budget will usher in all-round development.

  • I&B Ministry grants registration to 15 MSOs in Jan 2020

    I&B Ministry grants registration to 15 MSOs in Jan 2020

    MUMBAI: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has published a document listing all the registered multi system operators (MSO) in the country. As per the document, there are 1630 registered MSOs in India as on 31 January 2020.

    Fifteen MSOs were granted registration in the month of January 2020. A total of 150 MSOs were granted registration in the year 2019. Surprisingly, just one MSO, Sharma Cable Network, was granted registration in the entire of 2018 as per the document.

    All the granted registrations are valid for a period of 10 years. The name of the companies that were added in the registration list in January includes Latiyal TV Club, Vijayendra Cable, Seven Star Digital; Maxnet Communication, AG Digital Communication, Jai Maa Vaishnavi Jai Mata Di Star Cable, Digimedia Cable, Cable Operator Association of Yamunagar N Jagadhari, Siddhi Cable Center, Barale Cable Network, Aryabhatt Digital Network Pvt Ltd, The Nandhyal Communications, Tiranga Networks and DNA Cables.

    The ministry has also cancelled the registration of Skyway Digital on 27 january 2020. The total number of MSO registrations cancelled by MIB is 74 till 31 January 2020.

  • Gujarat High Court accepts plea against TRAI NTO 2.0 amendments

    Gujarat High Court accepts plea against TRAI NTO 2.0 amendments

    MUMBAI: The empire strikes back even as TRAI has been rubbishing news that NTO 2.0  is detrimental to the industry and will put the brakes on it. Despite repeated representations from different bodies, TRAI is sticking to its guns on imposing pricing regulations. Now the industry is fighting back.

    A spate of cases has been filled in different courts in a bid to turn TRAI and the government to its point of view. Earlier broadcasters have appealed at the Bombay and Madras High Courts and now they have filed a petition in the Gujarat High Court. Sources say that a few more petitions will be filed in different courts.

    The Gujarat High Court accepted a petition filed by broadcasters challenging the new tariff order for the broadcast sector by TRAI. Hearing the petition, Justice AY Kogje of the Ahmedabad bench of the Gujarat High Court issued notices to the Union of India and TRAI, asking them to file replies by 3 February, failing which the high court would grant interim relief to the petitioners.

    Petitioners named Somabhai Makwana, Nidhi Jani, Bharat Thakore, and Falguni Shah in their petition have stated that the tariff order issued by the regulatory body is beyond the powers under Section 11(2) of the TRAI Act and is conflicting with the provisions of Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995.

    On 1 January this year, TRAI had issued amendments to its tariff order for the broadcast sector, which received huge criticism from broadcasters and distribution operators alike.

    According to the petitioners, fixation of the network capacity fee (NCF) of Rs 130 per month per subscriber is not based on any intelligible material, and the criteria for determining the proposed amount lacks transparency.

    The case is ongoing in the Bombay High Court as well. In the previous hearing held on 14 January, the Bombay HC bench consisting of Justice SC Dharmadhikari and Justice RI Chagla had directed TRAI to file a reply in one week. They, in fact, had also refused to put a stay on the amendments pertaining to the new regulatory framework.

    Key amendments proposed by the broadcasters include the reduction of MRP cap to Rs 12, implementation of twin conditions on bouquet pricing, and other being the discount on channel bouquets to around 33 per cent.

    Earlier, Sun TV Network moved Madras High Court challenging the amendments to the new regulatory framework. The case  will be heard on 4 February. Hearing the matter, the division bench of Chief Justice Amreshwar Pratap Sahi and Justice Subramonium Prasad also issued notices to the Union of India and TRAI.

  • NTO 2.0 case: No interim relief granted, to be heard on 12 Feb

    NTO 2.0 case: No interim relief granted, to be heard on 12 Feb

    MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court has listed the next hearing of the ongoing case between the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and broadcasters on the new tariff order (NTO) on 12 February. No interim relief has been granted yet which can be argued at the next hearing. It has also been directed to issue a notice to Maharashtra advocate general.

    During Thursday’s hearing, the advocate for TRAI made a statement at the very beginning that the arguments should be based only on the petition and not on the rejoinder. Countering that, the advocate for Film & TV Producers Guild of India stated that there is nothing new in the rejoinder and everything is available in public domain.

    He also touched upon the point of the newly imposed twin conditions levied in the amendment of new tariff order where one condition is the cap of Rs 12 in a bouquet, the other being the discount on channel bouquets to around 33 per cent.

    Earlier, broadcasters were giving higher discounts pursuant to cross subsidies available by including smaller channels in its bouquets, which was totally in favour of consumers. He argued that if a consumer has to watch the so-called popular/niche channels (terms used by TRAI), he has to pay a higher price and it will increase his monthly bill.

    He also continued that although they do not come under the direct purview of TRAI, the amendments in the tariff order can affect their revenue. As the regulatory body has put a cap of Rs 12 on pay channel that can be included in a bouquet,  the broadcaster cannot charge more than Rs 12 for that pay channel in a bouquet.

    The broadcaster has to pay huge amount to acquire content. Due to the regulations, if the broadcaster is not able to include it in a bouquet, it  may prefer not to acquire such high priced content. Moreover, if broadcasters can not acquire quality content, the customer will lose.

    While broadcasters have the flexibility to decide the price of its pay channel and the customer should be able to view quality content on his TV, both these conditions are violated by the order.

    Earlier in the month, the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) along with others has filed a writ petition in the Bombay High Court against the TRAI order. The petitioners mentioned that the as amendments which has been notified in “consumer interest," will have exactly the opposite effect, leading to crippling of the business of broadcasters and ultimate suffering of the consumer.

  • Govt places embargo on publishing exit poll of Delhi Assembly election

    Govt places embargo on publishing exit poll of Delhi Assembly election

    MUMBAI: Amid the battle for power in the national capital, the Election Commission of India has banned all print or electronic media from showing exit poll of Delhi Assembly election between 8 am to 6.30 pm on 8 February 2020.

    The government, setting an embargo time for the exit poll, said, “Election Commission has notified the period between 8 am and 6.30 pm on 8 February 2020, conducting any exit poll and publishing or publicising the result of exit poll by means of the print or electronic media or in any other manner shall be prohibited in the ongoing General Election to the Legislative Assembly of NCT of Delhi, 2020.”

    Meanwhile, the statement also read, “Displaying any election matter including results of any opinion poll or any other poll survey, in any electronic media, would be prohibited during the period of 48 hours ending with the hour fixed for conclusion of poll in the aforesaid General election.”

    Delhiites will vote on 8 February 2020 and the results are expected on 11 February 2020. Channels tend to go in a frenzy to declare the winners using experts and poll results.