MUMBAI: Major DTH players like Tata Sky, Dish TV and Sun Direct have removed the Network Capacity Fee (NCF) on free-to-air (FTA) channels above the required 100 channels, according to a report by Telecom Talk.
Under TRAI’s new broadcast regulatory regime, the cable TV bill of users now has two components, the network capacity fee (NCF), which is Rs 130 for hundred channels and the cost of any paid channels or paid bouquets.
Dish TV subscribers will be able to pick as many as 189 FTA channels, without paying any additional NCF — over and above the base pack charges of Rs 130 per month (excluding taxes). However, it hasn’t changed anything for the paid SD and HD channels.
The operator now allows its subscribers to pick a range of FTA channels, without paying any additional NCF and has categorised all the available FTA channels into different packs, namely BST North with 189 channels, BST Hindi with 99 channels, BST Marathi and Gujarati with 84 channels, BST Bangla Odia with 83 channels, and BST DD Pack with 25 channels.
Sun Direct’s website says it is offering a total of 140 channels in the back pack of Rs 130 + 18 per cent GST. The base pack also includes the 25 Doordarshan channels, which are mandatory for all cable/DTH operators to provide.
Tata Sky is providing a limited number of channels for free beyond the designated 100.
As per the latest framework by the Telecom and Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), customers need to pay Rs 130 to get the first 100 FTA channels. An additional network fee of Rs 20 per month is also being charged for every block of 25 paid channels.
MUMBAI: Dominating the English news genre from early 2018 with Republic, Arnab Goswami is ready to take on the bigger Hindi news genre now. The Goswami-led network is launching a free-to-air (FTA) Hindi news channel, Republic Bharat in a cluttered market of more than 20 channels. The network’s target is to reach 150 million people on day one.
The channel will launch on 2 February at 6 am. Goswami believes that being FTA will give it a huge advantage over other existing pay channels. TV Today Network’s Aaj Tak has been the market leader in this category for quite some time. “I don’t think rural audiences will watch pay channels any more. So, compared to pay channels like Aaj Tak we have a huge advantage,” he says.
Talking about the Hindi news genre, Goswami says, “The differentiator is simply the fact that, the Hindi news channels, especially the so called leading channels, have given up on news. I don’t see any news on Hindi news channels and they only produce all kinds of strange programming and then call themselves news channels. These channels show vulgar dances, lewd performances and make shows out of it. I don’t think there are any news channels in Hindi today. We are the first news channel in Hindi today. All other news channel used to be news channels may be 15 years back.”
The campaign of the channel is around the theme of nationalism with the line ‘Rashtra Ke Naam’. Goswami boasts, “We are already number one in terms of perception before our launch and I think, everybody in the Hindi news space has understood that the number one player has come and we have had a fantastic response.”
The necessary government permissions for the channel came through in the last quarter of CY2018, but the network decided to wait for a concrete editorial plan to be in place. The timing to launch the channel right before the elections is also likely to benefit it.
For the state elections of 2018, he claims that the network saw equal amount of people tuning in on virtual screens and TV. “We are doubling the reach rather than eating into the reach. We have a team of 150 dedicated reporters. We have strategic alliances with CVoter and Jan Ki baat and are spending the money because we are building the brand and are entering the market to be the leader,” he says.
Viewers will now get to watch Goswami on primetime on both Republic and Republic Bharat.
This is the first channel of the network in for which the entire design and production is being done in-house. The channel will deploy massive technologies in terms of news gathering and will also include this in news presentation later. For now, the focus will be on using high-end technology for uplinking from different centres.
“From our perspective, the changes in the tariff regime, whether they are implemented or not, we are really agnostic and we will support any regulatory structure that the government proposes to bring in. We are not going to be impacted by any changes in the present regulatory system and we are prepared to comply either which way,” he concludes.
MUMBAI: Cable operators across the country, and particularly in Maharashtra, seem to have upped the ante in their confrontation with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) over the new tariff order that will be applicable to the broadcast sector from 29 December 2018. At a protest gathering in the city on Wednesday, the Cable Operator and Distributors’ Association (CODA) called for a cable TV blackout from 7 to 10 pm today.
The cable operator fraternity has taken affront to the TRAI formula that dictates the revenue sharing model. As per the regulator’s math, MSOs and LCOs will split the network capacity fee (NCF) of Rs 130 in a minimum 55:45 ratio, with no share for the broadcasters. Consumers will have access to 100 FTA channels, including 26 mandatory Doordarshan channels, by paying the NCF. For pay channels, broadcasters will pocket 65 to 80 per cent of the MRP with the MSO and LCOs sharing the rest in a 55:45 ratio.
“The protest is about two things, one is the price hike which is going to affect the customer and second the revenue share. The cable operators must get 40 per cent and the remaining 60 per cent should be divided between the broadcaster and the MSO,” said CODA’s Anil Parab.
Apart from the sector regulator, the Maharashtra cable operators seem to have trained their guns at the Star India Network too. There’s a protest planned at Lower Parel’s Urmi Estate, which houses the Star India office, at 2 pm on 28 December. Not just that, LCOs say they will also refrain from pushing Star’s channel pack to consumers.
“We are boycotting Star India channels. We are going to sit outside Star office in Lower Parel on 28 December at 2 pm. We will not book Star India channels initially,” added Parab.
The reason for their ire at Star is the broadcaster’s alleged refusal to meet and negotiate with cable operators.
“All the broadcasters except Star are in communication with us and are willing to sit across the table to iron out differences,” Maharashtra Cable Operators’ Federation committee member Asif Syed told Indiantelevision.com.
He also said that dissuading consumers from opting for the Star pack won’t be all that difficult given the personal equations LCOs share with most of them.
“It takes about a week to change the viewing preference of consumers. We have first-hand experience of this,” he added.
While the distribution ecosystem is now up in arms, it was Star India that fought the TRAI tooth and nail in the Madras High Court and then the Supreme Court over the tariff order.
In private conversation, however, some operators agree that they should have voiced their concerns on the matter ahead of time. The last-minute agitations may not yield the desired results, but the faction-riddled cable fraternity is determined to put up a united front.
“We demand that the revenue sharing should be around 60 and 40 per cent. 60 per cent of the pay channel revenue should be shared between the MSOs and the broadcasters, and the remaining 40 should purely go to the LCOs. On the FTA channels, minimum fee of Rs 20 should be taken by the MSO for carrying channels up to the LMOs headend, as after that he distributes on his own network. 80 per cent of the networks where FTA channels are carried are in the hands of the LCOs. 20 per cent of the FTA channels revenue should be given to the MSOs,” argues MNS Cable Sena VP Jagdish Joshi.
While the LCOs are spoiling for a fight, MSOs don’t seem to be wanting a piece of the action.
“The protest is about the amendments in the sharing revenue model on pay channels and want it to be changed to 60:40 from 80:20 currently. There is no support from us,” a member of the senior management of a national MSO told Indiantelevision.com on the condition of anonymity.
This protest isn’t just a Mumbai phenomenon. LCOs from over 30 associations across the country descended on New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on Wednesday asking TRAI to amend the tariff order.
The Vadodara Cable Operator Association, joined by their counterparts from Ahmedabad, called for a complete blackout on 28 December night to let their displeasure known to the regulator during a gathering at the Gandhinagar Gruh.
In Hyderabad on Tuesday, the Old City Cable TV Operators Welfare Association threatened to blackout paid channels and stop payments to MSOs if they were compelled to pay based on the new tariff regime.
“We are not against the tariff order; we just want some amendments to be done before the implementation. As per the trends going in the country, if the revenue share is very unfair, nobody is ready to do business in the country,” Joshi concluded.
Stepping up its efforts to enable a smooth transition, TRAI said it is preparing a detailed Migration Plan for all the existing subscribers. On Wednesday, the regulator issued a circular allaying fears of a potential blackout.
“The authority has noticed that there are messages circulating in the media that there may be a black-out of existing subscribed channels on TV screens after December 29, 2018. The authority is seized of the matter and hereby advises that all broadcasters/DPOs/LCOs will ensure that any channel that a consumer is watching today is not discontinued on 29.12.2018. Hence, there will be no disruption of TV services due to implementation of the new regulatory framework,” the circular said.
Earlier this month, filed a petition seeking clarification on the issue of 15 per cent cap on discount on a bouquet price of TV channels to consumers that had been set aside by Madras High Court while upholding TRAI’s right to regulate the broadcast sector. The matter will be listed when the top court resumes post the winter break in January 2019. There’s another case being heard in the Delhi High Court involving Tata Sky, Airtel Digital TV and Discovery India that will be heard on 10 January.
The LCOs are closely monitoring these matters. They also don’t rule out raking up the ongoing issue with the TDSAT. For now, however, they intend to show their might to TRAI and the broadcasters as the country prepares to adopt a new tariff regime. It remains to be seen what impact they can conjure up.
MUMBAI: NDTV has decided to convert its free to air (FTA) channel NDTV India as a pay channel with effect from 15 September. On 8 April 2016, NDTV India, the Hindi news channel, started its FTA journey. Prior to that, the channel was a paid service priced at Rs 3.37 on direct-to-home (DTH) and addressable platforms.
The channel will be priced at Rs 0.85 for addressable platforms.
A public notice issued by NDTV stated, “This is to inform viewers of NDTV that its channel NDTV India (Hindi language news channel) which is a free to air channel in India would be a pay channel across all platforms effective midnight of 15 September 2018.”
In FY17, NDTV’s subscription revenue stood at Rs 42.1 crore compared to Rs 42.5 crore in the previous fiscal. The subscription revenue comprised 11 per cent of the company’s total revenue during the fiscal year.
NDTV India was following a trend in the market when it made the decision to go FTA. After NDTV India’s decision to go FTA, Zee News and News18 India (earlier IBN7) had also gone FTA in the same year.
NEW DELHI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India today stuck with most of the existing guidelines and norms for uplink and downlink permissions for TV channel and teleports, refusing to recommend auction of TV channels — flagged as a contentious issue by stakeholders. However, it suggested enhancing of annual permission fees from the present levels, amongst some other changes.
The TRAI recommendations on uplink and downlink of TV channels and teleports had been awaited eagerly by the industry, already reeling under pressures from various sides, including economic.
The regulator also said that mandating encryption of broadcast of FTA TV channels was not a good idea, while suggesting that various processes for various government clearances should be streamlines done within stipulated time-frame.
Some of the major recommendations of the TRAI are as follows:
Issues related to uplinking and downlinking of satellite TV channels
i) No change in the existing definitions of ‘News and Current Affairs TV channels’, and ‘Non-News and CurrentAffairs TV channels’ mentioned in the existing uplinking and downlinking guidelines dated 05.12.2011.
ii) No change in the amount of minimum net-worth of an applicant company seeking permissions for uplinking anddownlinking of TV channels.
iii) Auction not feasible for grant of permissions for uplinking and downlinking of TV channels.
iv) Existing administrative system for grant of permissions for uplinking and downlinking of TV channelsshould be continued and should be streamlined.
v) TRAI reiterated its recommendations on “Ease of Doing Business in Broadcasting Sector” dated 26th February 2018 sent to the Government wherein several measures have been recommended for streamlining the existingprocess of granting permissions for uplinking and downlinking of TV channels.
vi) No change in the permission fee and entry fee for uplinking and downlinking permissions.
vii) Annual license fee for uplinking anddownlinking permissions should be enhanced as follows:
viii) Encryption of broadcast of FTA channels should not be mandated and it should be left to the broadcasters providingFTA channels.
ix) Transfer of permissions should not be permitted between two different companies. In case of mergerand acquisition as recognized under the Companies Act, 20 13 or any other applicable law(s), transfer of permissionsshould be permitted after following the due process. Transfer of permission of TV channels to its subsidiarycompany or holding company or subsidiary company of the holding company should be allowed freely, provided such company has a valid uplinking and downlinking permission.
x)A lock-in period of one year from the date of operationalization of a channel for the transfer of permission of such channel.
B. Issues related to Teleports
i) No change in the amount of onetime non-refundable processing fee levied for seeking permission for establishing a teleport.
ii) No Entry fee for granting permission for establishing teleport.
iii) For each antenna a fixed annual license fee of Rs 3 lakh should be charged.
iv) No need to restrict the number of teleports in India.
v) Location of teleports should be left to the teleport operators subject to site clearance from WPC wing of DoT.
NEW DELHI: ABS has closed the doors from 1 May 2018 on Indian TV channels that were using the ABS-2 satellite-beamed FTA Ku-band platform. Apparent reason: Indian government pressure on local TV channels to stop using the ‘unlicenced’ platform that discouraged payment of carriage fee to the satellite operator, which was the origin of the business.
The Bermuda-registered satellite operator’s ABS-2 signals — hosting on its South Asian beam a Nepalese and a Bangladeshi DTH services licenced in their respective countries — have been spilling over into India and a mix of Indian, Nepalese and Bangladeshi TV channels were available to Indians as a FTA service that was accessed via some plain vanilla hardware (read set-top boxes and antennae) at a nominal cost.
On being petitioned by Indian distribution platforms, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) in 2017 had asked Department of Space (DoS) to block the “unauthorised” DTH or KU-band ABS-2 service on the grounds of possible threat to national security — an allegation that was refuted by ABS citing international laws of ITU.
Finally, when ABS took the decision to shut the doors on the Indian TV channels, there were 90 of them, mostly beaming content in non-Hindi Indian languages. These channels were using the FTA Ku-band platform to reach not only Indian audiences in southern and eastern parts of India but, probably, also those in Nepal and Bangladesh for additional eyeballs. Eyeballs meant advertising revenue for these TV channels.
ABS last year had refuted Indian government charges saying “natural spillover” of satellite signals into neighbouring countries, outside the service area of the countries offering licensed DTH services, but falling within the coverage area of the satellite, was in “full compliance” of ITU provisions.
With ABS discontinuing the Indian TV channels, Reliance Big TV (sold by Anil Ambani’s Reliance Communications to new investors) FTA DTH service yet to fully bloom and Doordarshan’s FreeDish platform locked in a policy logjam, free to air platforms and low-cost television viewing for people in the Indian hinterland seem to have run into air turbulence.
According to industry experts, Indian hardware companies had devised a way to have two LNBs (low-noise box) in one single DTH antenna that was capable of receiving both ABS-2 and DD FreeDish services, resulting in sizable popularity of these two platforms that were accessed via a low-cost hardware. This was unlike the full-fledged subscription-based DTH services made available by the likes of Tata Sky, Dish TV, Videocon d2h and Sun TV.
MUMBAI: Network18 is adding another feather to its cap. The network is all geared up to launch a new Hindi news channel, News18 Bharat, to its bouquet of 20 news channels. According to a source privy to the information, the channel has begun testing but the launch date is still not clear.
Network18, however, denied the development when Indiantelevision.com reached out to the network.
Out of Network18’s portfolio of 20 channels, 14 are regional channels, four are business news channels and the remaining are general news channels. The network already has five regional channels for the Hindi-speaking states—News18 India, CNBC Awaaz, News18 Uttar Pradesh Uttarakhand, New18 Madhya Pradesh- Chhattisgarh and News18 Punjab-Haryana-Himachal.
With New18 Bharat entering the fray, competition in the Hindi news genre is expected to hot up. The channel will be free to air to begin with but may shift to the pay model with 24×7 news programming. The format of the channel will be MPEG4/DVBS2 while the frequency rate is 4035 Hz. The testing of the transmission service has started on Intelsat20 at 68.5 degrees east.
If we have a look at Broadcast Audience Research Council’s numbers in the Hindi news genre, New18 India is in the top-five list in the Hindi-speaking market (HSM U+R) and urban. News18 Bharat is likely to be targeted at rural India.
Recently, Network18 elevated Avinash Kaul as the chief operating officer (COO).
MUMBAI: Reliance Big TV is looking at building its brand under its new parent Pantel Technologies. It has partnered with 12,000 India Post offices across Maharashtra and Goa so consumers can do the initial booking by making a payment of Rs 500 through the outlets.
The company claims to offer the effectively free high definition (HD) High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) set top boxes (STB), as earlier promised by Reliance Big TV. Commenting on the latest development, Reliance Big TV director Vijender Singh said, “With its recent offer, Reliance Big TV disrupted the digital entertainment space in India. India Post has an incredible reach, which is unrivalled by any other logistics partners and the same would help the customers.” He also stated that the initiative would support the digital India initiative by bringing urban and rural India on the same platform.
Reliance Big TV is further extending its pan-India network to fully support its customers and provide content spanning entertainment, movies, sports, news, infotainment, education, kids content and more. Furthermore, the HD HEVC STB comes packed with latest features, such as scheduled recording, USB port, YouTube, recording and viewing channels simultaneously.
The offer provides pay channels free for a year including HD channels and up to 500 free to air channels free of cost for five years.
MUMBAI: A decade after making a headway into India’s burgeoning news TV industry, Hindi news channel News24 has given itself a makeover to stay relevant in the current times. The channel, owned by BAG Network and Media, got a new logo design and tagline of ‘Think First’ earlier this month.
Talking to Indiantelevision.com, BAG Network CMD and News24 editor-in-chief Anurradha Prasad said that the revamp was initiated since the channel had completed 10 years in the market and as she expected 2018 to be a major milestone for the industry.
“After the revamp, which involves several operational changes, we plan to increase the ad rates by 30-40 per cent. We are gearing ourselves up for an action-packed 2018 since it will be a very big year for news thanks to the state and general elections,” Prasad pointed out. She pegged the Hindi news genre at Rs 5000 crore in terms of revenue, significantly larger than the English news genre.
Distribution is the biggest challenge for the industry and the cost involved is high. “Since we are a free-to-air channel, our entire revenue is dependent on advertisers. If all the FTA channels spend 60 per cent of that for distribution, it is bound to impact the content. The way forward is through optimal use of technology and smartphones,” she said.
Alongside the channel refresh, the channel’s shows have received a brand-new look as well. Sabse Bada Sawwal with Sandeep Chaudhary airs at 7 pm followed by Rashtra ki Baat with Manav Gupta. In the former, experts provide their views on the latest issues and question the authorities. In the other show, the anchor sheds light on the current affairs, news updates and social issues of the country.
Prasad says that the channel is bringing out a new cybercrime show for the weekend that will be an eye-opener for the youth and parents. “People are unaware of the dark web and how it operates and the 13-episode show will aim to unravel that.”
The channel aims to empower its viewers with news without any agenda. According to Prasad, News24 has a reach of 7.5 to 8 crore households a week with presence in 90 per cent of homes in the Hindi-speaking market.
MUMBAI: The formulation of the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) had one big advantage for channels. Regional reporting led to increased viewership for free-to-air (FTA) general entertainment channels (GEC) as well as higher advertiser interest. Star Bharat is the only FTA that has original content while others such as Zee Anmol, Rishtey, Sony Pala and Star Utsav show reruns of popular shows from their main channels. Though low on operational cost, are the channels making money?
Dentsu Aegis Network chairman & CEO – South Asia Ashish Bhasin says that advertisers follow eyeballs, regardless of where it comes from. “Advertisers pay for total target audience. Unlike TAM [the earlier measuring system], rural market is measurable with BARC. It is a fact that many categories are seeing much more growth in rural than in urban since they have reached near saturation in urban markets but rural is untapped.”
FTA channels are available without subscription but are digitally encoded and geographically restricted. According to SAB & MAX cluster senior EVP & business head Neeraj Vyas, “FTA is a zone which is growing and we are looking at a base between 25-30 million homes now. FreeDish is a very important platform to reach out to masses today. We reach out to those homes, which haven’t seen or sampled the kind of television viewed in the country. So, it is a critical platform to reach out to viewers and in turn, the viewers have also loved our content.”
FMCG brands dominate ads on FTA channels. MediaCom national director-buying K Srinivas Rao attributes this to their deep penetration in tier II and III cities. He says that the channels get 75-80 per cent of contribution from FMCG while smartphones, telecom players and two-wheelers have scope too.
For now, these channels don’t seem to be earning much but Vyas expects it to get better. “From an advertising standpoint, I think the bleeding levels will certainly get better. It is a matter of time and things are definitely on the right track. I think most of the channels in this space are making a reasonable amount of advertising money,” he says. Though ad rates are considerably lower, the operating costs are just one fourth of large GECs.
According to industry sources, prime time ad rates of FTA channels are 30-40 per cent of paid TV ones.
Rao believes that channels can make money because their only investment is staff cost even though ad rates are low for reruns. According to Bhasin, the ad rates can improve if these channels can increase viewership and sustain it over time.
Wavemaker India’s managing partner Navin Khemka opines that the FTA channels are high in demand and they are catering to a segmented audience. He added, “The operations costs will only increase as they invest in original content. This trend is on the rise with Star Bharat investing in content. And the results are showing.” He believes that the success of FTA channels is due to DD’s direct feed and penetration in small towns and rural India. He also stated that FMCG players are playing a key role in the patronage of these channels. However, newer categories like two wheelers and telecom are also emerging in rural regions.
Sony Pal is currently broadcasting Yam hai Hum, Baalveer, Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, Kuch Rang Pyaar Ke Aise Bhi, Badi Dooooor Se Aaye Hai, Y.A.R.O Ka Tashan, Sankatmochan Mahabali Hanuman and CID. Sony Pal’s advertiser bouquet consists of Hindustan Unilever, Dabur, Colgate, Patanjali, Telcos brands, handsets brands etc.
Rishtey’s shows Na Aana Is Des Laado, Belan Wali Bahu, Tere Sang Yaara, Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat, Veer Shivaji and Radhaa Ki Betiyaan Kuch Kar Dikhayeng. Zee Anmol shows Kumkum Bhagya, Ek Mutthi Aasmaan, Laddoo, Santoshi Maa, Jamai Raja, Qubool Hai, Gangaa, Kaala Teeka and more.
Star Utsav is currently showing some epic shows of Star Plus and Channel V like Bhakton Ki Bhakti Mein Shakti, Ek Hasina Thi, Ishqbaaaz, Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon?…Ek Baar Phir, Sadda Haq – My Life, My Choice, Suhani Si Ek Ladki, Saath Nibhaana Saathiya, Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai and more.
Star Bharat has a big bouquet of original shows which include Kya Haal Mr. Paanchal, Jai Kanhaiya Lal Ki, Jiji Maa, Kaal Bhairav Rahasya, Nimki Mukhiya, Saam Daam Dand Bhed and more.
There are few regional FTA GECs but they will mushroom over time as soon as regional advertisers see the merit in them. Advertisers are keen on tapping rural India and with growing viewership, these channels are likely to form an important part of their budgeting portfolio.
