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Tag: Arasu

  • Punjab govt. studying Arasu & other regulatory models on distribution

    NEW DELHI:  The Punjab Government is said to be studying Tamilnadu Arasu Cable TV Corporation (TACTV) model as also some other regulatory setups as part of a proposal to explore bringing about more transparency in  cable TV distribution system in the State, while breaking any monopoly that exists.

    A source in the state government confirmed to indiantelevision.com that structuring and functioning of Asasu is being studied by legal eagles. The source added that some other regulatory models are being studied too to explore setting up of a mechanism ensuring that any “monopoly in cable TV distribution”, if it exists, could be broken. The final aim: make the whole system transparent and democratic for all players to operate in Punjab.

    Former-cricketer-turned-politician-cum-TV-personality Navjot Singh Sidhu, a minister in the present Congress government in Punjab, had alleged in the state assembly some time back that  MSO Fastway Transmission Private Limited, under the “patronage” of the previous Akali government, had caused a loss of around Rs 6840 million to the state exchequer. Because of political patronage, Fastway monopolised the cable TV business in Punjab, a PTI report had stated, basing its observations on Sidhu’s claims.

    In a laudable step Punjab chief minister Amrinder Singh, despite his cabinet colleague’s outbursts, in a public statement few days later assured the TV industry  ruling out “vendetta politics”  or any witch-hunt against any MSO or TV channel. Still, he did say any allegations of  tax evasion would be probed as per the law.

    However, the Punjab government source was unable to fully explain to indiantelevision.com how studying the Arasu model would help as the TN MSO is a state government-run organization, which itself has been accused of  trying to monopolise cable TV distribution business in the south Indian state.

    In a set of recommendations first made in 2008, then in 2012 and reiterated in August 2014, broadcast and telecoms regulator TRAI had suggested barring government or government backed organizations from entering the business of TV broadcast or  distribution. The suggestions, part of media ownership’s proposed norms, have been gathering dust in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting under successive governments.

    TRAI had observed: “Given that about six years have elapsed without any concrete action being taken by the government, the Authority strongly recommends that …political bodies, religious bodies, urban, local, panchayati raj, and other publicly funded bodies, and Central and State government ministries, departments, companies, undertakings, joint ventures, and government-funded entities and affiliates be barred from entry into broadcasting and TV channel distribution sectors…(and)  in case permission to any such organisations have already been granted, an appropriate exit route is to be provided.”

    ALSO READ:

    Punjab govt. vows to break cable monopoly, rules out blocking MSO Fastway

    Probe Punjab ‘cable mafia,’ demands minister, Fastway refutes charges

     

  • Arasu gets a month’s extension to go digital

    NEW DELHI: The Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV Corporation, which had been granted a provisional licence with the condition to digitise completely within three months, has now got an additional months time following a request by the state government.

    The original grant period was scheduled to expire on 17 July 2017, and it is understood that TACTV had already commenced work to acquire digital STBs. However, the principal secretary of the Tamil Nadu government had, in a letter dated 6 June 2017, sought three more months.

    However, in a letter sent to TACTV dated 21 June, the ministry of information and broadcasting ministry has said that the request was considered but it was decided to grant only a month’s extension.

    Consequently, TACTV has been asked to complete the digitisation process by 17 August 2017 failing which the provisional the “registration may be suspended/revoked.”

    Copies of the letter have been sent to the principal secretary of the Tamil Nadu IT Department, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, and the Commissioner/Superintendent of Police in Chennai.

    A TACTV official, who did not want to be named, told indiantelevision.com that Arasu had already put up most of the digital head-ends and would be ready to transmit signals by mid-August.

    However, the official said that the real problem lay in the availability and seeding of seven million digital set top boxes, which may take some more time.

  • TRAI keeping watch over Arasu, TN MSO extends digital hardware bids deadline

    NEW DELHI: The government and the regulator are keeping a close watch on Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV Corporation to see whether it sticks to the deadline of three months to digitise its networks even as the state government-controlled MSO extended the date for submission of bids for acquiring digital headend hardware to 9 June 2017.

    A source at the regulator TRAI told indiantelevision.com that it was “watching” to see how the situation developed in Tamil Nadu, adding that it would step in if the situation demanded it.

    Arasu was given a provisional digital addressable system MSO license earlier this year subject to the condition that it digitises its network within three months so it could phase out analogue TV signals and be at par with the rest of the country. The official sunset date of analogue services in India was 31 December 2016, which was extended to end-March 2017 by the government keeping in view some hiccups in seeding digital boxes in rural and semi-urban areas.

    According to an official announcement by Arasu, which is running a scroll on its website, the last date for a global tender for supply of standard definition (SD), high definition (HD), triple play STBs, etc has been extended to 9 June 2017 from 29 May 2017. Arasu plans to acquire 70 million digital addressable STBs of which 10 million will be HD boxes.

    Though the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has at least three times in the last decade expressed a view that political parties, politicians and state governments, amongst a host of other category of people, should not be allowed to get into the business of broadcasting or distribution of TV services, successive governments, including the present one, have dithered to take a final call on the regulator’s suggestions.

    While handing out provisional license to Arasu earlier this year, the union minister M Venkaiah Naidu had said the conditional green signal was given with an aim to cover the entire country under DAS and specifically done in “public interest”.

  • Including Arasu, total number of MSOs goes up to 1376, to ensure DAS implementation

    NEW DELHI: Following the decision of the government to deem all provisional multi-system operators as having regular licence and giving a provisional licence to the Tamil Nadu Arasu TV Corporation, the total number of MSOs has gone up to 1376.

    Thus, TACTV is the only MSO on the provisional list and all the others are deemed to have a permanent licence for ten years.

    Thus there has been increase of 194 MSOs in the country since the end of February as the Information and Broadcasting Ministry had given registration to 1182 MSOs by the end of February 2017 which included 230 which had valid ten-year licences.

    But faced with just less than one month to go before total switch-off of analogue signals, the Government had on 6 March 2017 decided to treat all MSOs as permanent but with condition that the period of ten years commences from the date they got registered as provisional MSOs.

    However, if the continuation of registration of any MSO is at any time found to be or considered detrimental to the security of the State then the registration so granted is liable to be cancelled/suspended, the order placed on the Ministry website mib.nic.in specified.
    All other terms and conditions depicted in the provisional registration letter(s) wlll continue to apply.

    Earlier on 27 January.2017, it had been decided that all registered MSOs are free to operate in any part of the country, irrespective of registration for specified DAS notified areas granted by this Ministry.

    However, they have to submit the details of Headend, SMS, subscribers list and a self-certificate that they are carrying all the mandatory TV Channels, within six months from date of issuance of MSO registration, to the Ministry, failing which the MSO registration is liable to cancelled/suspended.

    Hence, all deemed regular registered MSOs also are required to submit the details to the Ministry within six months.

    The Tamil Nadu-Government-run TACTV was granted provisional licence on 18 April 2017 to operate as a MSO in the state on condition that it switches off analogue signals in the entire state within three months.

    The Ministry had told indiantelevision.com that it had been made clear that the provisional licence was subject to the Centre taking a final decision on the recommendation of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India that no government owned body should be permitted in the field of running or distributing television channels.  TRAI had in 2008, 2012 and 2014 held that state governments and political parties should not be permitted to own TV channels or distribution channels.

    In Tamil Nadu where there is a court stay in operation since Phase I, TACTV had warned MSOs and LCOs against switching off analogue signals anywhere in the state after 31 March 2017.

    The sources said that Arasu had been granted provisional licence in 2006 at the time of the Conditional Access System on certain conditions based on the TRAI report but this had not been renewed when Digital Addressable System came into force.

    Also Read:

    Faced with deadline, MIB says all provisional MSOs will be deemed regular

    Arasu gets provisional MSO licence subject to analogue switch-off in three months

  • Arasu DAS licence: Stakeholders fear flurry of similar requests & permissions

    NEW DELHI: Even as Tamil Nadu state government-backed MSO Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV Corp (TACTV) expressed satisfaction at getting the DAS license after “five years of struggle”, some other stakeholders felt this move by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting may go against a policy recommendations by sector regulator TRAI and, possibly, open up floodgates for similar requests from other local governments.

    TACTV general manager Ramana Saraswathi, while welcoming the development, told indiantelevision.com that the matter about shuttering analogue signals within three months was something that the state government would decide.

    She said that TACTV would await government instructions. Incidentally, the state government in Tamil Nadu state is an ally of the BJP-led NDA coalition that is in power in New Delhi.

    While officially analog has had a sunset on 31 March 2017 in India, MIB’s internal review of the ground situation revealed that full digital play is yet to be a reality. The Andhra Pradesh state government, meanwhile, had exhorted MIB to extend the March 2017 deadline, which had received no official feedback from MIB.

    However, not everybody was as upbeat as Arasu. Most MSOs and LCOs outside Tamil Nadu, contacted by indiantelevision.com, made clear their apprehension saying this might “open the floodgates” and “other state governments may take advantage” of this by regularising or floating MSO companies, which will indirectly help politicians control what all gets aired and what all people can watch.

    One Andhra-based MSO said that an inter-ministerial committee had itself held that the matter was one of policy that should be decided by the MIB. LCO Sky Vision managing director R S Raju said that when TRAI has submitted a series of recommendations on why government or semi-government bodies should not be allowed in TV distribution business, which are awaiting a final decision at MIB, such permissions, conditional or otherwise, send a wrong signal to the industry players.

    Saharsh Damani of the All India Digital Cable Federation (AIDCF) said the organization would study the government order in detail and then give an official reaction.

    In August 2014, TRAI had suggested barring political parties from entering into broadcasting space, while it recommended several restrictions on the corporate houses in this regard.  It had made a similar recommendation in December 2012 and earlier in November 2008.

    “Ownership is a huge concern… how do you know that a TV channel operated out of Bhopal owned by a local MLA or MP is conveying the truth rather than tinted version of the truth. This is one problem with political ownership,” the then TRAI chairman Rahul Khullar had said in 2014 while releasing recommendations on ‘Issues Relating to Media Ownership’.

    TRAI had suggested that entities, including political bodies, religious bodies, central and state government ministries and government funded entities be barred from entry into broadcasting and TV channel distribution sectors.

    The regulator even suggested that surrogates of such entities too “should be barred”.

    TRAI had pushed for enactment of a new legislation through an executive decision for its recommendations to be implemented, while suggesting an exit option should be provided in case permission to any such organizations had already been granted.

    Arasu’s conditional license makes things that much more difficult for MIB and other central government department to take a final decision on the regulator’s suggestions.

    ALSO READ:

    Arasu gets provisional MSO license subject to analogue switch-off in three months

    Can a MSO block a channel airing unfavourable poll survey?

    DAS: MSOs, LCOs give low figure of STB seeding, official sources admit it’s under 80%

  • Arasu gets provisional MSO licence subject to analogue switch-off in three months

    NEW DELHI: The Tamil Nadu-Government run Arasu Cable TV Corporation (TACTV) has been granted provisional licence to operate as a multi-system operator in the state on condition that it switches off analogue signals in the entire state within three months.

    Information and Broadcasting Ministry sources also told indiantelevision.com that it had been made clear that the provisional licence was subject to the Centre taking a final decision on the recommendation of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India that no government owned body should be permitted in the field of running or distributing television channels.

    In Tamil Nadu where there is a court stay in operation since Phase I, TACTV had warned MSOs and LCOs against switching off analogue signals anywhere in the state after 31 March 2017.

    The sources said that Arasu had been granted provisional licence in 2006 at the time of the Conditional Access System on certain conditions based on the TRAI report but this had not been renewed when Digital Addressable System came into force.

    Pointing out that the centre had refused to grant DAS licence to TACTV because recommendations of the TRAI, a Chennai-based MSO had told indiantelevision.com earlier this month that the case in Madras High Court had been gong on for so many years primarily because the Central Government was not clear about its stand and keeps taking adjournments.

    TACTV that it had applied for a DAS licence as far back as July 2012 but the government had failed to take a decision despite an order of the Madras High Court of December 2013 asking the Centre to take a decision on the application of TACTV for grant of it’s license “in the soonest possible time”.

    Earlier on 3 September 2015, the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Arbitration Tribunal adjourned sine die the hearing of a matter in which it had asked the Information and Broadcasting Ministry to explain the denial of digital addressable system licence to the TACTV.

    The order by then Tribunal Chairman Justice Aftab Alam and members Kuldip Singh and B B Srivastava came on being informed by the Government counsel that a single judge of the Madras High Court had on 28 August 2015 stayed the proceedings pending before the Tribunal.

    The Tribunal said however gave liberty to the parties to bring to the notice of the Tribunal any further development in the matter.

    The Information and Broadcasting Ministry had on 14 August 2015 been asked by the Tribunal to file an affidavit in a matter where the root issue is about the denial of digital addressable system licence to the TACTV Corporation Ltd. It also directed the Indian Broadcasting Foundation to get impleaded in the case.

    The Tribunal had held that Arasu was guilty of transmitting television signals in Chennai – which had adopted DAS in the first phase – in analogue mode, and at the same time guilty of using Star signals in the metropolis without any authorization inter-connect agreement with Star India.

    Noting that there is no compliance with the direction of the Court even after more than a year and half, the Tribunal had at that time felt it was imperative to know the stand of the Government for a proper adjudication of the matter.

  • Petition on MSO Arasu postponed to 28 January, status quo to continue

    Petition on MSO Arasu postponed to 28 January, status quo to continue

    NEW DELHI: The hearing of a petition by the state owned Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV Corporation (TACTV) challenging the failure of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) to grant it provisional licence has been put off to 28 January.

     

    The Court, which on 21 December ordered status quo on the issue relating to disconnection of TV signals transmitted by TACTV, is understood to have given time as some of the parties wanted more time to file their replies. 

     

    The status quo order had been given by Justice M M Sundresh on a plea filed by TACTV general manager K Priya seeking a direction to the Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry to grant provisional license for Digital Addressable System (DAS).

     

    Counsel for TACTV Abdul Saleem had then submitted that pending consideration of their application of 5 July, 2012 and 23 November, 2012 for regularisation of the licence, the status quo should be maintained.

     

    Even as it failed to give provisional licence to TACTV, the Ministry had said its signals would be disconnected if it failed to give digital signals to Phase III areas comprising municipalities and corporations by 31 December, 2015.

     

    The “inaction on the part of the Ministry is illegal, against the due process of law and violative of Article 14 and 21 of the Constitution of India,” Saleem had contended.

  • Arasu reports Rs 181.91 crore revenue in 2014-15

    Arasu reports Rs 181.91 crore revenue in 2014-15

    MUMBAI: J. Jayalalithaa owned Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV Corporation’s (TACTV) revenues have seen an upward trend after it was revived by the present AIADMK regime. The multi system operator (MSO) has reported revenue of Rs 181.91 crore in 2014-15 from Rs 2 crore it had reported in 2010-2011.

     

    As per the Information Technology Department policy note tabled in the State Assembly, Arasu’s revenue rose by 64.3 per cent between 2011-2012 and 2014-15, in view of growing subscriber base, a PTI report said. The MSO had reported revenue of Rs 64.8 crore in 2011-12. 

     

    The increase in revenue, as per the report, was due to increasing subscriber base and tapping revenues from private local channels.

    While the MSO has so far not been granted the licence to operate in the DAS areas, its cable subscribers have grown manifold. Arasu, which in September 2011 had 4.94 lakh subscribers in Tamil Nadu, currently serves 70.52 lakh subscribers through 26,246 local cable operators (LCOs). 

     

    Additionally, realizing the need for having a broadband base in order to grow the average revenue per user (ARPU), Arasu entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with RailTel Corporation for providing broadband and internet services through LCOs. 

     

    As per the PTI report, the Department of Telecommunications under the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology has granted the Unified License—ISP Category ‘B’ authorisation for offering the broadband and internet services.

     

    As a pilot project, around 1000 internet connections, through 35 LCOs have been provided and the service quality is being closely monitored. The government is taking steps to popularise internet service through LCOs in order to increase connections in the state.

  • TDSAT questions MIB over DAS licence denial to Tamil Nadu’s Arasu Cable

    TDSAT questions MIB over DAS licence denial to Tamil Nadu’s Arasu Cable

    NEW DELHI: The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Arbitration Tribunal (TDSAT), on 14 August, asked the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) to file an affidavit in a matter where the root issue is about the denial of digital addressable system (DAS) licence to Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV Corporation (TACTV).

     

    While the MIB had presented a note through a section officer, TDSAT refused to accept it and wanted the ministry to file a proper affidavit.

     

    Listing the matter for 2 September, TDSAT also said that Star India, respondent in the case filed by cable operator Thamizhaga Cable TV Communication, New Delhi, was free to negotiate with Arasu and other multi-system operators (MSOs) for areas in Chennai for DAS and outside Chennai for analogue transmission.

     

    At the same time, it said that there would be no disconnection of signals until the next date.

     

    TDSAT also directed that the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) should be impleaded as a party since other broadcasters were also giving signals to Arasu for Chennai though it did not have the DAS licence. Option was also given to other broadcasters if they wanted to be impleaded.

     

    During the hearing earlier this week, TDSAT chairman Aftab Alam and members Kuldip SIngh and B B Srivastava wondered why the Central Government had failed to take a decision on giving DAS licence to Arasu. It had therefore directed that the Ministry be impleaded in the case.

     

    At the same time, it had held that Arasu (TACTV) was guilty of transmitting television signals in Chennai, which had adopted DAS in the first phase – in analogue mode, and at the same time guilty of using Star signals in the metropolis without any authorisation inter-connect agreement with Star India.

     

    The Tribunal was told by TACTV that it had applied for a DAS licence as far back as July 2012 but the government had failed to take a decision despite an order of the Madras High Court in December 2013 asking the Centre to take a decision on the application of TACTV for grant of it’s license “in the soonest possible time.”  

     

    Noting that there is no compliance with the direction of the Court even after more than a year and half, the Tribunal felt it was imperative to know the stand of the Government for a proper adjudication of the matter.

     

    The Tribunal did not accept the argument by TACTV in the last hearing that it had negotiated with Star India for the entire state since the Letter of Intent (LOI) was only for the rest of Tamil Nadu barring Chennai.

  • Chennai: A story of failed digitisation attempts

    Chennai: A story of failed digitisation attempts

    MUMBAI: The Information and Broadcasting Ministry (I&B) has a long wish list for the cable TV sector and one among them is the timely completion of digitisation of phase III and phase IV. While stakeholders have taken up the challenge to ensure that they meet the deadline, what remains to be seen is how will the Ministry deals with the southern cities of Chennai and Coimbatore, which fall in phases I and II respectively and still needs to see complete digitisation.

     

    While other metros like Mumbai and Delhi have seen 100 per cent digitisation, Chennai falls way behind. An I&B report in 2012 had said that close to 62 per cent of the homes in Chennai were digitised. Rubbishing the report, the Chennai Metro Cable TV Operators’ Association said that the reality was far from the figures released by the Ministry.

     

    “There are close to 30-35 lakh cable TV homes in Chennai and of this, only five lakh have been digitised,” a multi system operator (MSO) operating in the city tells Indiantelevision.com.

     

    There are six MSOs operating in Chennai and each of these MSOs have converted only 10 per cent of their consumers to digital TV homes. “We had placed orders for close to one lakh set top boxes, but have seeded only 25,000. The reason behind this is the pending Arasu case in the court,” says the MSO.

     

    Another problem, which MSOs are facing is that of pay TV channels being available to Arasu Cable for free, while the other operators are paying for it. “About 33 pay channels are available to Arasu Cable for free, but we are paying for those 33 channels. It is a big hurdle in the path to digitisation,” adds an MSO.  

     

    As for the ongoing case against Arasu, the court asked the I&B Ministry to submit its Inter Ministerial Committee (IMC) report, which hasn’t been submitted as yet. “Not only this, almost 125 cases have so far been filed in the court regarding analogue switch off. The MSOs want to seed set top boxes, but we cannot move forward till the court comes up with a decision on Arasu,” informs the MSO.

      

    The MSOs in Chennai are preparing themselves for the competition they face from the direct to home (DTH) players. For the same, they are now looking at installing hybrid HD boxes and also pushing broadband to their subscribers. “We want to maintain the digital subscribers and so we are now moving to HD boxes,” he says.  

     

    The condition of Coimbatore, which falls under phase II, is no better. So far the city has not seen any analogue cable TV home being converted to digital home.

     

    Also pertinent to not here is that after several failed attempts at getting the DAS license, former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had resorted to writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him to issue the DAS license to the state owned cable operator. In the letter, Jayalalithaa had requested the Inter Ministerial Committee to submit its final report too.

     

    Complete digitisation spanning 100 per cent homes in Chennai and Coimbatore is possible only after the court gives its final verdict on the state owned Arasu Cable. If the I&B really wants its vision for cable TV digitisation to be complete, it will have to fast track the case.