News Broadcasting

White paper on CAS and cable industry

Published

22 years ago

January 2, 2004

NEW DELHI: The cable fraternity has prepared a status report on the industry. Reproduced below is the “white paper” the cable ops are currently circulating:

1) The cable and satellite industry came into existence in 1991 during the Gulf War. Later on with more channels being launched over the Indian space, viewers were provided a set of about five-six channels. For this they paid approximately Rs 25 to their neighbourhood boy who went on to become the cable operator.

In 1994 two pay channels were launched at a nominal rate of Rs 5 each – i.e. Star Movies and Zee Cinema.

2) Today the cable operators show anything between 70-90 channels out of which 40 are pay channels.

3) Effective this month, the rates of pay channels are as follows:

Bouquet
Channels Effective rate
a

Star

Rs 90

Sony

6 + 2 (NDTV)

Rs 65

Zee Turner

Rs 75

ESPN Star Sports

Rs 39.70

Ten Sports

Rs 32

Hallmark

Rs 4.20

Nickelodeon

Rs 3

B4U Movies

Rs 9

Video channels royalties

Rs 27

Cable ops charges

Rs 100

Total

Rs 444.90

4) There are an estimated 52 million cable and satellite homes in the country, and out of this Delhi accounts for approximately 800,000 cable subscribers.

5) Pay channel broadcasters collect subscription money from MSO’s every month. Those broadcasters carry out periodic increase in subscription numbers/connectivity and the bouquet rates every six month.

Every year, in January, they increased the price and in the middle of the year they increase the connectivity. Some broadcasters charge fees on a subscription base of approximately 1.8 million in Delhi out of total 800,000 cable homes.

6) The Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry had recommended that pay channels be routed through a Conditional Access System (CAS) (implying use of a set-top boxes). Suitable amendments were incorporated in the Cable TV Regulation Act, which was approved by both the Houses of Parliament.

7) One of the provisions in the amendment to the Act was: if a cable operator does not encrypt the pay channels and delivers through STBs, he shall be liable to punishment under the Act, as a non-cognizable offence.

8) The basic issues being addressed by implementation of CAS were to streamline the pricing mechanism which was governed by the total number of cable and satellite homes declared to the broadcasters. Opinions showed, CAS would enable total transparency in this aspect and thereby enable the broadcasters to charge on the basis of the actual viewership and not arbitrary increase in the price, which ultimately hurts the end user.

9) With the increase in the number of channels every year, there is an added burden on the MSOs to upgrade the Cable TV Plant, thereby increasing the expenditure on capital.

10) The Cable and Satellite (C&S) industry in India has grown solely out of the efforts put in by the cable ops and the MSOs and has generated employment for thousands of people. All this has been achieved without any help from the government. Unlike other service sector industries this industry has never asked for any kind of help or protection in the form of subsidies/concessions from the government.

11) There is an urgent need to regulate this industry especially for the explicit purpose of keeping a check on the broadcasters, who keep hiking the prices.

12) For this 11-year-old broadcasting and cable distribution industry, there is only one Act – the Cable TV Regulation Act. This has led to a lot of litigations in the courts without any relief to the industry and consumers.

There is no bill pending in the Parliament to regulate this 15,000 crore industry. This prevailing chaos may help the telecom and broadband industry to take over this business and the livelihood of approximately 500,000 families in the industry.

13) Under the CAS regime, if we take the case of Chennai – a total of 800,000 subscribers have successfully implemented CAS from September 2003. Today, the total monthly charges paid by the Chennai subscribers have gone down from 200 million to 820 million per month.

Earlier, in a pre-CAS scenario, Chennai cable subscribers were paying an average of Rs 250 per month to the cable operators, but in a post-CAS scenario, majority Chennai cable subscribers are paying only Rs 72 per month. Only 10,000 subscribers are paying Rs 200 per month. That means, the benefit of balance amount of nearly Rs 120 million (approximately) is ultimately getting passed on to the subscribers due to introduction of CAS.

14) CAS implementation in Mumbai and Kolkata – though legally on – has been deferred due to heavy lobbying by pay channel broadcasters.

15) In Delhi, the high court upheld the implementation of CAS in Zone-I (the entire South Delhi area). The MSOs, in strict compliance with the directive of the court, invested about Rs 5 billion to deploying best available technologies in the world for CAS implementation.

16) During the recent Assembly elections in Delhi, BJP party head Madan Lal Khurana though supported CAS as consumer friendly – was in fact instrumental in preventing it from being implemented.

17) CAS has got an in-built revenue generation model for the state and central governments by way of entertainment and service taxes, which would be beneficial to the exchequer.

18) Some of the media reports had miscommunicated that the technology deployed is an obsolete one and not up to the required standards. In fact, the equipment being used here is the same as that used elsewhere in the world. It has been approved by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is said to be amongst the best in the world.

19) There are talks of broadband technology being deployed. This technology has recently moved from the design boards of the laboratory and is under test. The broadband technology is also being tested by the existing MSOs and their affiliates. However, the perfection of the technology and its economic viability will take some time to become a reality.

20) Recently a senior BJP leader Vijay Kumar Malhotra told some newspaper that MSOs are exploiting the consumers – which is gross misrepresentation of facts.

The cable industry is deploying the boxes on a bare minimum rental with deposit scheme thus subsidising the cost. MSOs have not even factored the investments made in the master control room in the price of the boxes.

Presently about 4000-5000 STBs are being deployed in the CAS notified zone every day. Subscribers who wish to watch only 60-70 free to air channels will be required to pay only Rs 72 plus taxes although these rates do not meet the basic expenses of the cable operators.

21) Finally, in the city there are following types of TV viewers:

a) Those with TV but no cable connection. They simply watch Doordarshan channels by putting up an antenna for Rs 200.

b) Those with black and white TV sets: they will be happy to watch only FTA channels.

c) Cable and satellite homes are only five-six percent. These viewers will take STB and rest of the subscribers will be happy to watch FTA channels. Most religious, music and news channels are FTA, anyway.

Deferring CAS will mean people who want to watch FTA channels for Rs 72 only, will be deprived and hence an anti-consumer move.

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News Broadcasting

Barc forensic audit in TRP row awaits as Twenty-Four probe gathers pace

Published

1 month ago

February 4, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

KERALA: A forensic audit commissioned by the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India has emerged as the centrepiece of the government’s response to fresh allegations of television rating point manipulation involving a regional news channel in Kerala, with both the audit findings and a parallel police investigation still awaited.

Replying to a query in the Lok Sabha, minister of state for information and broadcasting L Murugan, said Barc had appointed an independent agency to conduct a forensic probe into the conduct of senior personnel allegedly linked to the case.

The move followed media reports claiming that a Barc employee had accepted bribes to manipulate viewership data in favour of a regional television news channel.

“The report from BARC is still awaited,” Murugan told Parliament, signalling that the forensic exercise remains ongoing.

Industry specialists say forensic audits are crucial in alleged TRP fraud cases, as they examine internal controls, data access trails, panel household integrity, staff communications and financial transactions. The outcome could determine whether the alleged manipulation was an isolated breach or a deeper systemic weakness in India’s television measurement framework.

Running alongside the audit, the Kerala Police has formed a special investigation team to probe the allegations. The ministry has sought a preliminary report from the state’s director general of police, including details of action taken on the first information report. That report, too, is yet to be submitted.

The episode has revived long-standing concerns over the vulnerability of India’s TRP system, particularly in regional news markets where competition for ratings is fierce and advertising revenues hinge on weekly viewership rankings.

India’s sole television audience measurement body Barc, has faced scrutiny before, most notably during the nationwide TRP controversy involving news channels in 2020. While tighter compliance norms were introduced in the aftermath, the latest allegations suggest enforcement challenges may persist.

On regulatory consequences, the government said any punitive action against television channels, including suspension or cancellation of uplinking and downlinking permissions, would be governed by the Policy Guidelines for Uplinking and Downlinking of Television Channels issued in November 2022, and would depend on investigation outcomes and due process.

The ministry also pointed to ongoing efforts to overhaul the ratings ecosystem. Television measurement continues to be regulated under the Policy Guidelines for Television Rating Agencies, 2014. Draft amendments were released for public consultation in July 2025, followed by a revised version in November 2025, aimed at tightening audit mechanisms and improving transparency and representativeness.

In November 2025, Barc said it had taken note of allegations aired by Malayalam news channel Twenty-Four, which linked an internal employee to irregularities in audience measurement. The council said it had engaged a “reputed independent agency” to conduct a comprehensive forensic audit, underscoring the seriousness of the claims.

The ratings system sits at the heart of India’s broadcast advertising economy, shaping billions of rupees in annual ad spends. With trust in audience data once again under strain, advertisers, broadcasters and regulators are closely watching the outcome of the investigations.

Barc has urged industry stakeholders and media organisations to exercise restraint while the probe is underway, calling for an end to “unverified or speculatory claims” and reiterating its commitment to integrity and accountability.

Until the forensic audit and police findings are submitted and reviewed, the government said it would refrain from drawing conclusions.

News Broadcasting

Rajat Sharma defamation row: Delhi court summons Congress leaders Ragini Nayak, Pawan Khera and Jairam Ramesh

Published

1 month ago

February 4, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court has ordered the summoning of senior Congress leaders Ragini Nayak, Pawan Khera and Jairam Ramesh in a criminal case filed by veteran journalist Rajat Sharma, sharpening a legal battle over alleged defamation and doctored digital content.

The order was passed on Monday by Devanshi Janmeja, judicial magistrate first class at Saket Courts, after the court found prima facie grounds to proceed under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including forgery, creation of false electronic records and defamation.

Sharma, chairman and editor-in-chief of India TV, had approached the court over allegations made in June 2024 that he had used derogatory language against Congress spokesperson Ragini Nayak during a live television debate. He denied the charge, claiming it was fuelled by a manipulated video circulated online.

According to the complaint, a clipped version of the broadcast carrying superimposed captions, which were not part of the original programme, was first shared on social media platform X by Nayak and later amplified through retweets and public statements by Khera and Ramesh. Sharma said the viral spread caused serious reputational harm and personal distress.

The court took note of forensic science laboratory findings that pointed to visible post-production alterations in the video, including added titles and captions. It also cited witness testimonies from those present during the live broadcast, who stated that no abusive or objectionable language had been used.

In a related civil matter, the Delhi High Court had earlier observed a prima facie absence of abusive remarks and directed the removal of the disputed social media posts.

With criminal proceedings now set in motion, the case adds to mounting scrutiny around political messaging, digital manipulation and accountability on social media platforms.

News Broadcasting

Mukesh Ambani, Larry Fink come together for CNBC-TV18 exclusive

Reliance and BlackRock chiefs map the future of investing as global capital eyes India

Published

1 month ago

February 4, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: India’s capital story takes centre stage today as Mukesh Ambani and Larry Fink sit down for a rare joint television conversation, bringing together two of the most powerful voices in global business at a moment of economic churn and opportunity.

The Reliance Industries chief and the BlackRock boss will speak with Shereen Bhan, managing editor of CNBC-TV18, in an exclusive interaction airing from 3:00 pm on February 4. The timing is deliberate. Geopolitics are tense, technology is disruptive and capital is choosier. India, meanwhile, is pitching itself as a long-term bet.

The pairing is symbolic. Reliance straddles energy transition, digital infrastructure and consumer growth in the world’s fastest-expanding major economy. BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, oversees more than $14 tn in assets and sits at the nerve centre of global capital flows. When the two talk, markets tend to listen.

Fink’s appearance marks his third India visit, a signal of the country’s rising strategic weight for the Wall Street-listed firm, which carries a market value above $177 bn. His earlier 2023 trips included an October stop in New Delhi, where he met both Ambani and Narendra Modi.

India is now central to BlackRock’s expansion plans, notably through its joint venture with Jio Financial Services. Announced in July 2023, the 50:50 venture, JioBlackRock, commits up to $150 mn each from the partners to build a digital-first asset-management platform aimed at India’s swelling investor class.

The backdrop is robust. BlackRock ended 2025 with record assets under management of $14.04 tn, helped by $698 bn in net inflows, including $342 bn in the fourth quarter alone. Scale gives Fink both heft and a long lens on where money is moving.

He has been openly bullish on India. At the Saudi-US Investment Summit in Riyadh last year, Fink argued that the “fog of global uncertainty is lifting”, with capital returning to dynamic markets such as India, drawn by reforms, demographics and durable return potential.

Expect the conversation to range beyond balance sheets, into technology’s role in finance, access to capital and the mechanics of sustainable growth in a fracturing world order. For investors and policymakers alike, it is a snapshot of how big money is thinking about India.

At a time when capital is cautious and growth is contested, India wants to be the exception. When Ambani and Fink share a stage, it is less a chat and more a signal. The world’s money is still looking for its next big story, and India intends to be it.