ITV

Tag: New Tariff Order

  • Star and Disney India postpones new channel launches till further intimation

    Star and Disney India postpones new channel launches till further intimation

    Mumbai: Star and Disney India has deferred the launch of 15 (SD+HD) channels and renaming of one channel until further intimation.

    “This is to inform all distributors of television channels that the launch of following 15 channels and name change of following one channel have been deferred till further intimation by Star,” it said.

    The channel launches that have been held back include Star Gold Romance, Star Gold Thrills, Jalsha Josh, Star Movies Select, Pravah Pictures, Star Kirano, Star Sports 1 Tamil HD, Star Sports 1 Telugu HD, Disney Channel HD, Hungama HD, Star Gold 2 HD, Pravah Pictures HD, Vijay Super HD, Asianet Movies HD and Star Kirano HD. The renaming of Marvel HQ to Super Hungama has also been delayed till further notice.

    The broadcaster had published its new reference interconnection offer (RIO) on 15 October mentioning the new channels and declaring the new channel and bouquet pricing in compliance with the new tariff order (NTO) 2.0. Star planned to launch its new channels between December 2021 and January 2022.  

    The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) notified that it has extended the deadline for implementation of NTO 2.0 till 1 April 2022. In the meanwhile, broadcasters must revise their RIOs by 31 December and distribution platform operators must report their distribution retail price of pay channels and bouquets by 31 January 2022.

    The broadcasters’ association Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation (IBDF) and Trai have been embroiled in a legal battle on the matter of NTO 2.0 implementation. The final hearing of the Supreme Court on the matter is on 30 November.  

  • NTO 2.0 case: Judgement reserved, TRAI can’t take any coercive step

    NTO 2.0 case: Judgement reserved, TRAI can’t take any coercive step

    KOLKATA: The Bombay High Court bench today reserved its judgement on the NTO 2.0 case. After hearing both sides, the court has also ordered the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) not to take any coercive action against the broadcasters for non-implementation of the amended tariff order.

    Within a very short span of new tariff order (NTO) implementation, TRAI had issued a set of amendments at the beginning of 2020. It was challenged legally by the major broadcasters. Even while the case was sub-judice, TRAI had released fresh directives on 24 July, asking broadcasters to publish details including maximum retail price per month of channels and maximum retail price per month of bouquets of channels, the composition of bouquets and also amended RIO and other details. This further irked the broadcasters.

    In the last couple of years, the industry has been overburdened by regulations. According to a FICCI -EY report, NTO 1.0 reduced the number of TV subscribers by 26 million. While broadcasters are reeling from the impact of Covid2019 , it is of serious concern how another change will impact the industry.

  • Bombay high court questions TRAI on twin conditions, DPO bouquets

    Bombay high court questions TRAI on twin conditions, DPO bouquets

    KOLKATA: Within a very short span of the new tariff order (NTO) implementation, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) issued a set of amendments at the beginning of 2020. These have been challenged legally by the major broadcasters, and the litigation is still in progress.

    In an interesting twist, at today's hearing yesterday, the bench at Bombay High Court has questioned the relevance of a few important clauses of the regulation.

    The division bench of the Bombay high court comprising Justice AA Sayed and Justice Anuja Prabhu Desai asked whether the twin conditions were placed by TRAI for consultation. The industry regulator had introduced this clause citing “manipulation” of consumer choice by broadcasters.

    Read more news on Trai

    “The sum of the a-la-carte rates of the pay channels (MRP) forming part of a bouquet shall in no case exceed one and half times the rate of the bouquet of which such pay channels are a part. The a-la-carte rates of each pay channel (MRP),forming part of a bouquet, shall in no case exceed three times the average rate of a pay channel of the bouquet of which such pay channel is a part,” TRAI said along with introducing the Rs 12 cap for introducing a channel in a bouquet.

    TRAI has been upholding (amended tariff order) NTO 2.0 for bringing rationality between a-la-carte price and the bouquet price. But several reports have indicated that consumers opted for the distribution platform operator (DPO)-designed bouquets post NTO 1.0.

    Considerably, the bench also mentioned that more than 90 per cent bouquets in the market are DPO bouquets which do not appear to be under the same restrictions as the broadcaster’s bouquets. The bench asked TRAI's counsel to explain how and whether DPO bouquets are bound by restrictions as compared to the broadcasters.

    Giving an example of NTO 1.0 which was implemented without the discount cap on the formation of a bouquet by the broadcasters, the bench asked whether NTO 2.0 could be implemented without some of the provisions.

    Read more news on NTO

    The counsel appearing for TRAI has sought time to respond till the next date of hearing, 8 October.

     It is expected that counsels for the union of India and TRAI will complete their arguments during the next hearing. However, keeping in mind the rejoinder to be made by the broadcasters, the first half of Friday has been kept as reserve time.

    Over the past couple of years, the industry has been overburdened by regulations. According to a FICCI -EY report, NTO 1.0 reduced the number of TV subscribers by 26 million. While broadcasters are reeling from the Covid2019 impact, it is of serious concern how another change will impact the industry. 

  • TRAI always believes intervention should be limited to market failures: R S Sharma

    TRAI always believes intervention should be limited to market failures: R S Sharma

    KOLKATA: The cable and broadcasting industry has been despondent of late due to several new regulations. Many of the stakeholders have complained about “over-regulation” stunning the growth of the business and causing unnecessary burdens. The outgoing chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), R S Sharma, has refuted the claims reemphasizing that the authority has always looked at light-touch regulation. Sharma stated that TRAI has always believed intervention should be limited to market failures, adding that it has never interfered if the market is trouble-free. He addressed several controversial issues.

    During a conversation with Governance Now MD Kailashnath Adhikari, Sharma has spoken in favour of the most controversial regulation of this year, the amended New Tariff Order (NTO 2.0). He said that the tariff order was brought to strike a perfect balance between consumer choice and industry benefits.

    Sharma mentioned that while it has given new power to consumers to watch channels of his own choice, it has also given broadcasters the liberty to decide the pricing of their channels, distributors to have an independent source of revenue through network capacity fees. “In such a situation, it will be unfair to call it over-regulation,” he commented.

    He reiterated that TRAI’s data shows that 90 per cent of the people watch only about 50 channels out of the 800-900 channels in the country. He also added that OTT platforms allow much more freedom to watch content compared to linear TV, and this is one of the primary reasons for the audience shifting to OTT platforms. After the implementation of NTO in last year, many long-tail channels shut their shops. “IBF’s statement is rubbish, and it brings fear in the minds of people,” Sharma stated, mentioning that the case is sub judice in court. 

    Earlier this year, when the pandemic started hitting the ad revenue dependent broadcasting industry, TRAI issued a set of recommendations for a major overhaul of the country’s TV viewership measurement agency, BARC India, a joint industry body of the broadcasters, advertisers, and advertising agencies. Recommendations included an increasing number of people meters from 44,000 to 66,000 by the end of 2020 and 1,00,000 by the end of 2022. Many stakeholders commented that it seemed to throttle the entire system rather than reforming. 

    “Audience measurement is a significant source for broadcasting to get advertising and program sponsorship. In fact, that is the only currency. An industry dependent on advertising for survival and growth, audience measurement is a critical activity. Broadcasting is one such sector that is largely dependent on advertising revenue. Broadcasters earned revenue Rs 45000 crore in 2019, 32000 crore was collected from advertising. This underlies the dependence on the flow of advertising, which largely hinges on the profile of their audience and popularity of the content, which is assessed by television audience measurement rating. It is imperative that the process of that measurement should be objective, fair, neutral, transparent,” Sharma commented.

    “Some important recommendations are the need for structural reformation of governing of BARC to mitigate the potential risk of conflicts, bring transparency, and the confidence of all stakeholders on the TV audience measurement system. To create a credible and accurate collection of data, multiple data agencies need to be in competition, which would bring new technologies, research methodologies, and new ways to ensure better data quality,” Sharma further adds. 

    According to him, technology is ever-evolving, and the TV rating system needs to be in tandem. While Sharma mentioned that TRAI only gave the recommendation of the constitution of BARC, he also stated that periodical reformations are needed. Many stakeholders raised the issue of huge investment in restructuring. He said that many reformations could be carried out in a frugal way on the back of new technologies.

  • Bombay high court’s NTO 2.0 verdict on 24 August

    Bombay high court’s NTO 2.0 verdict on 24 August

    KOLKATA: The Bombay high court's verdict on the NTO 2.0 case between broadcasters and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is expected on 24 August. Until then, all parties have agreed to wait before taking any further decision. 

    During a hearing last week, the court asked both parties to follow “gentlemen’s word” and TRAI also assured to not take any action against broadcasters who haven't yet implemented NTO 2.0.

    During Friday’s hearing, the case was listed before the original bench comprising justice AA Sayed and justice Anuja Prabhudesai. While the legal battle is ongoing since long, TRAI citing a regulatory vacuum released a fresh directive on 24 July irking the broadcasters who have already been battling with the impact of the pandemic.

    It asked broadcasters to publish details including maximum retail price per month of channels and maximum retail price per month of bouquets of channels, the composition of bouquets and also amended reference interconnected offer (RIO) and other details on their websites by 10 August.

    Follow Tellychakkar for the consumer facing news & entertainment

  • NTO 2.0: DPOs express discontent over partial implementation of regulation

    NTO 2.0: DPOs express discontent over partial implementation of regulation

    KOLKATA: With constant changes in regulations, the pay-TV sector in India continues to face uncertainty. Major broadcasters have come together to fight the implementation of the amended new tariff order (NTO 2.0) as directed by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). However, distribution platform operators (DPOs) have already complied with the network capacity fee (NCF), multi-TV charges, etc., under the new directive and express dissatisfaction over the partial implementation. 

    “TRAI had asked all DPOs to adhere with NTO 2.0 on NCF, multi-home and others. As broadcasters have not given any new rates, you can’t implement the full NTO 2.0. If you implement half NTO, you have taken whatever is negative on your books but whatever positive we could take from broadcasters’ side has not happened. Hence, it is harmful to both DPOs and subscribers. We will be struggling how to handle it if the issues drag on and broadcasters don’t come out with new prices,” says GTPL Hathway CATV business head and chief strategy officer Piyush Pankaj.

    While broadcasters are reeling under Covid2019 impact, TRAI came out with a directive to implement NTO 2.0 by 10 August. As the petition against it was already sub judice, the broadcasters went to the Bombay high court challenging the directive. The court asked both parties to go by “gentlemen’s word” and TRAI assured it would not take any action till the next hearing. The court is hearing the case today before a bench comprising justice AA Sayed and justice Anuja Prabhudesai. 

    Another executive from a national MSO also brought up the fact that TRAI made all DPOs to implement the order on 1 March. But DPOs could not implement new pricing without broadcasters publishing it. Hence, many DPOs reached out to TRAI saying that either broadcasters should comply with all the rules or the authority should roll back pressure on DPOs. He also informs that one of the large broadcasters already published new pricing with 10-15 per cent hike but was continuing with the old reference interconnect offer (RIO).

    “Any channel which is above Rs 12 cannot be clubbed in a bouquet. If broadcasters don’t reduce the prices to be included in the bouquet that will affect all our bouquets,” says Metrocast Network Services promoter Nagesh Chhabria. However, he adds that there is no issue currently as Metrocast is continuing with the old model.

    “It’s an ecosystem, you cannot implement regulations in bits and parts,” says UCN Cable Network director Jagdish Paliya. However, he adds that NTO 2.0 is not very favourable for DPOs, too, as making a discount on second box compulsory is harsh on the operators.

    But what if the order comes in favour of the implementation of NTO 2.0? Here, the DPOs echo broadcasters’ view that executing it amid a pandemic would be very difficult. While approximately 15 million pay-TV subscribers cut the cord during NTO 1.0 implementation, the executive from a national MSO posed the most important question – will more subscribers drop off now?

  • ‘Ramayan’, movies drive out pay Hindi GECs, news from across genres list

    ‘Ramayan’, movies drive out pay Hindi GECs, news from across genres list

    BENGALURU: Weeks 12 of 2020 (Saturday, 21 March 2020 to Friday 27 March 2020) and 13 of 2020 (Saturday, 28 March 2020 to Friday, 3 April 2020) witnessed big changes in Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) weekly lists of Top 10 Channels Across Genres on All Platforms. Week 12, the first week of the All India 21-day lockdown due to the dreaded covidvirus-19 had seen the entry of a Hindi News channel, the free to air (FTA) AajTak from the India Today group at rank 7. Only three GEC channels, two of which were FTA –Dangal (at rank 1), Big Magic (at rank 8) and Pay channel Sony Sab (at rank 3), were present in BARCs’ across genres on all platforms list in week 12 of 2020. Three Movies channels were also present in the list in week 12 along with two Telugu and one channel each of Tamil and Hindi News genres. Combined viewership of the Top 10 channels across genres in week 12 of 2020 was 8 percent higher than the combined viewership in week 11. From the Network’s perspective there were two channels each from Sony Pictures Network India (SPN), Star India and Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (Zeel) and one channel each from Enterr10 Television, Sun TV, TV Today group and Viacom18. 

    Week 13 of 2020 saw combined viewership of Top 10 channels across genres on all Platform climb even further- week 13 of 2020 saw week on week combined weekly impressions grow 18.3 percent as compared to the previous week. Eight of the channels in the weekly list for week 13 were the same as in week 12, but with higher ratings and a shuffling of ranks. Star India’s flagship Telugu GEC Star Maa and AajTak exited the list in week 13 to make way for DD National (at rank 1) and Viacom18’s Kids channel Nick (at rank 9). BARC attributes DD National’s growth of viewership to re-runs of programmes such as Ramayan, Shaktiman and Buniyaad amongst others.

    Four Hindi GECs, three channels from the Hindi Movies genre and one channel each from the Kids, Tamil and Telugu genres made up BARC’s weekly list of Top 10 Channels Across Genres on All Platforms. Please refer to the figure below:

    Top 10 Pay Channels Across Genres

    BARC’s weekly list of Top 10 Pay Channels Across Genres in week 12 of 2020 had seen the exit of five big GECs’, four of which were Hindi GEC’s and one was a Kannada GEC. All the channels were flagship channels. The Hindi GECs’ were Viacom18’s Colors, SPN’s Sony Entertainment Television, Star India’s Star Plus and Zeel’s Zee TV and the Kannada GEC was Zeel’s Zee Kannada. Three of the channels that replaced these GECs’ were Hindi Movies channels and two were Telugu GEC channels. BARC revealed during a teleconference that many GECs’ have included classic soaps& dramas and movies as big part of their programming, more so in South India. Four Telugu channels, three Hindi Movies channels and one channel each from the Hindi GEC, Kids and Tamil genres made up BARC weekly list of Top 10 Pay Channels Across genres in week 12 of 2020. There were two channels each from SPN, Star India, Sun Tv Network, Viacom18 and Zeel. 

    Week 13 of 2020 saw two channels exit BARCs’ weekly list of Top 10 Pay Channels Across Genres-the Sun Tv Network’s Telugu GEC Gemini and Zeel’s Zee Telugu. The new entrants were pubcasterDoordarshan’s (DD) flagship channel DD National and the Sun Tv Network’s Tamil Movies channel KTV. Hence there were three channels from the Hindi Movies genre, two channels each from Hindi GECs’, Tamil and Telugu and one channel from the Kids genre. From the network’s perspective, there were two channels each from SPN, Star India, Sun Tv Nework, Viacom18 and one channel each from DD and Zeel.

    Please refer to figure below.

    Top 10 Free Channels Across Genres

    BARC’s weekly list of Top 10 Free Channels Across Genres in week 12 of 2020 saw the exit of one Hindi Movies channel -ABZY Movies, to be replaced by Hindi News channel AajTak. The other nine channels in week 12 were same as in the previous week, with some shuffling in ranks.  There were three channels each from the Bhojpuri and Hindi Movies genres, two channels from the Hindi GEC genre and one channel each from the Hindi News and Youth genres. There were four channels from Zeel, three channels from Enterr10 Television, two channels from B4U Network and one channel from the India Today group.

    Nine of the channels in BARC’s weekly list of Top 10 Free Channels Across Genres in week 13 of 2020 were the same as in week 12. The channel that exited the list was Zeel’s Bhojpuri channel Big Ganga, which was replaced by DD’s DD National. The nine channels from the previous week had some reshuffling of ranks. There were three channels each from the Hindi GEC and Hindi Movies genres, two channels from the Bhojpuri genre and one channel each from the Hindi News and the Youth genres. There were three channels each from Enterr10 Television and Zeel, two channels from B4U and one channel each from DD and the India Today group.

    Please refer to the figure below:

  • Sony Sab continues as most watched pay TV Hindi GEC across genres

    Sony Sab continues as most watched pay TV Hindi GEC across genres

    BENGALURU: Sony Pictures Network India (SPN) Sony Sab continued as the most watched pay TV Hindi GEC in week 11 of 2019 (Saturday, 14 March 2020 to Friday, 20 March 2020, week or period under review). The channel had replaced Viacom18’s flagship Hindi GEC Colors which until recently had been the most watched Hindi GEC for a few weeks in 2020.

    Most watched pay channels across genres in week 11 of 2020

    Five Hindi GECs and one channel each from the Hindi Movies, Kannada, Kids, Telugu and Tamil genres comprised BARC’s weekly list of the Top 10 Pay Channels Across Genres for week 11 of 2020. There were three channels from Sony Pictures Network India (SPN), two channels each from Star India, Viacom18 and Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (Zeel) and one channel from the Sun Tv Network. Eight of the channels were GECs’, while there was one each from the Kids and Hindi Movies genres during the week under review.

    The list of top 10 pay channels across genres for week 11 of 2020 was the same up to rank 4 as compared to the previous week. Star India’s flagship Tamil GEC Star Vijay exited the list in week 11 of 2020 and was replaced by Viacom18’s kids channel Nick.Colors climbed up a place to fifth rank, while Zeel’s flagship Hindi GEC dropped a place to sixth rank in week 11 of 2020 from fifth rank in the previous week. SPN’s Hindi Movies retained its 10 rank in the list in week 11 of 2020. SPN’s flagship GEC Sony Entertainment Television also dropped a place to eighth rank in week 11 of 2020 as compared to seventh rank in the previous week.

    Refer to the figure below for ratings of the Top 10 Pay Channels Across Genres for weeks 10 and 11.

    Most watched free channels across genres in week 11 of 2020

    Enterr 10 Television’s Hindi GEC Dangal led BARC’s weekly list of Top 10 Free Channels Across Genres in week 11 of 2020, as it had in the previous weeks. Dangal has generally been the most watched channel across genres ever since BARC recommenced publication of data in week 13 of 2019 after the implementation of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India or TRAI’s New Tariff Order or NTO.

    During the period under review, four channels from the Hindi Movies and three channels from the Bhojpuri from Hindi GEC,two channels from the Bhojpuri and one channel from the Hindi Music genre comprised BARC’s weekly list of Top 10 Free Channels in week 11 of 2020.  Four of the channels were from Zeel and there were three channels from Enterr 10 Television, two channels from B4U and one channel from the SkyStar Network.

    Nine of the channels in BARC’s weekly list of Top 10 Free Channels in week 10 of 2020 were the same as in the previous week with changes in ranks. B4U’s Bhojpuri channel B4UBhojpuri exited the list in week 11 of 2020, while SkyStar’s Hindi Movies channel ABZY Movies reentered the list.

    Please refer to the figure below for ratings of the Top 10 Free Channels Across Genres for weeks 10 and 11

    Most watched channels on all platforms across genresin week 11 of 2020

    Dangal continued its domination of BARC’s weekly lists of Top 10 Channels on All Platforms Across Genres in week 11 of 2020 at rank 1 as it has in the recent past. The first five channels in BARC’s across genres on all platforms weekly list during week 11 were the same in rank and file as in week 10 of 2020. One channel reentered the list -Nick, while Star India’s Telugu GEC Star Vijay exited it.

    Nine of the 10 channels in BARC’s weekly lists of Top 10 Channels on All Platforms Across Genres in week 10 of 2020 were GECs’. Seven of the channels were Hindi GECs’, while there was one channel each from the Kids,Tamil and Telugu genres in the list. From the networks’ perspective, there were three channels from SPN, two channels each from Star India, Viacom 18 and Zeel and one channel from the Sun Tv Network.

    Refer to the figure below for ratings of the Top 10 Channels on All Platforms Across Genres for weeks 10 and 11


     

  • Southern channels continue Pay-TV viewership dominance across genres

    Southern channels continue Pay-TV viewership dominance across genres

    BENGALURU: In the recent past, channels in two South Indian languages, Tamil and Telugu, have been the most watched pay-TV channels across genres, according to Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) weekly data. There have been exceptions to this. The weeks when the annual cricketing bonanza Indian Premier League had been played had sports channels dominating viewership of pay-TV channels. Further, though Viacom18’s flagship Hindi GEC Colors became the second most watched pay-TV channel in the country in the start of 2020, the Sun TV Network’s Tamil GEC Sun TV led pay-TV viewership at rank one.

    Media reports from around the world stated that the World Health Organisation or WHO had declared the coronavirus outbreak as a pandemic on 11 March 2020. BARC data for week 10 of 2019 (Saturday, 7 March 2020 to Friday, 13 March 2020, week or period under review) of the top 10 Pay Channels Across Genres shows that Sun TV and Star India’s Star Maa were the first and the second most watched channels across genres. The duo had led pay-TV across genres weekly ratings for pervious week also.

    Most watched pay channels across genres in week 10 of 2020

    Five Hindi GECs, two Tamil and one channel each from the Hindi Movies, Kannada and Telugu genres comprised BARC’s weekly list of the Top 10 Pay Channels Across Genres for week 10 of 2020. There were three channels each from Sony Pictures Network India (SPN), Star India and Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (Zeel) and one channel from the Sun TV Network. Nine of the channels were GECs, while one was from the Hindi movies genre during the week under review.

    The list of top 10 pay channels across genres during the period was the same up to rank 7 as compared to the previous week. Star India’s flagship Tamil GEC Star Vijay climbed up to eighth place in week 10 of 2020 from tenth place in week 9. ZEEL’s flagship Kannada GEC dropped a place to ninth rank in week 10 of 2020 from eighth rank in the previous week. SPN’s Hindi Movies reentered the top 10 pay channels across genres list in week 10 of 2020, while the Sun Tv Network’s flagship Telugu GEC Gemini TV exited the list.

    Please refer to the figure below for ratings of the Top 10 Pay Channels Across Genres for weeks 9 and 10.

    Most watched free channels across genres in week 10 of 2020

    Enterr 10 Television’s Hindi GEC Dangal led BARC’s weekly list of Top 10 Free Channels Across Genres in week 10 of 2020, as it had in the previous weeks. Dangal has been the most watched channel across genres ever since BARC recommenced publication of data in week 13 of 2019 after the implementation of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India or TRAI’s New Tariff Order or NTO.

    During the period under review, three channels each from the Bhojpuri, Hindi GEC and Hindi Movies genres and one channel from the Hindi Music genre comprised BARC’s weekly list of Top 10 Free Channels in week 10 of 2020.  Four of the channels were from Zeel and there were three channels each from B4U and Enterr 10 Television.

    Nine of the channels in BARC’s weekly list of Top 10 Free Channels in week 10 of 2020 were the same as in the previous week with changes in ranks. Enterr 10 Television’s Marathi GEC Fakt Marathi exited the list in week 10 of 2020, while B4U’s Bhojpuri Movies channel B4U Bhojpuri reentered the list.

    Please refer to the figure below for ratings of the Top 10 Free Channels Across Genres for weeks 9 and 10

    Most watched channels on all platforms across genres in week 10 of 2020

    Dangal continued its domination of BARC’s weekly lists of Top 10 Channels on All Platforms Across Genres in week 10 of 2020 at rank 1 as it has in the recent past. The first eight channels in BARC’s across genres on all platforms weekly list during week 10 were the same as in week 9 of 2020 with a some shuffling of ranks. Two channels reentered the list -Zeel’s Hindi GEC Big Magic and Star Vijay, while two channels – Zeel’s Zee Kannada and Sun Tv Network’s Gemini TV exited it.

    All the 10 channels in BARC’s weekly lists of Top 10 Channels on All Platforms Across Genres in week 10 of 2020 were GECs’. Seven of the channels were Hindi GECs’, while there were two Tamil and one Telugu channel in the list. From the networks’ perspective, there were three channels from Star India, two channels each from SPN and Zeel and one channel each from Enterr 10 Television, Sun Tv Network and Viacom18.

    Please refer to the figure below for ratings of the Top 10 Channels on All Platforms Across Genres for weeks 9 and 10

  • Corona : MCOF requests TRAI to defer NTO 2.0 implementation

    Corona : MCOF requests TRAI to defer NTO 2.0 implementation

    The Maharashtra Cable Operators Federation (MCOF) has requested the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to defer the implementation of the amended tariff order (NTO 2.0) in view of the crisis created by Coronavirus. MCOF president Arvind Prabhu said that they are awaiting response from the regulatory body. The Association of Film and Video Editors has also decided to stop the shooting of TV serials, web series, etc. from 19 till 31 March 2020.

    The federation has written in a letter today to the authority that in the normal course of business, LCO business entails many visits to Customer premises for Collections of Post-paid Subscription and on- site Service Support. It added that NTO2.0 will necessitate more frequent interaction with Subscribers firstly to refit them into New Basic Plan options and secondly to enable them to make the right choices of Pay Channels and Packages.

    It has also been said that the field executives will be exposed to many subscribers and vice versa and thus has a higher probability of turning into a Passive Carrier, if not a patient himself, which is ill- advised in the days of Corona Virus spread. At the present scenario, almost everyone is resorting to Social distancing to contain the spread.

    It has also added that the problem is compounded in large cities where the cable executive often travels and aboard Public Transport to reach his office . It mentioned that while the future situation is not predictable , the psychological need for minimal interaction would be hard to overcome.

    “We therefore request you to kindly defer the implementation of NTO 2.0 until things settle. The interim period would also be useful for more interactions with and by the Industry and whole-hearted participation by each Value chain Member,” the letter stated.

    “We also request that the deferment be made applicable to DTH and IPTV Operators too so as to ensure Status quo across the Sector.  This is without prejudice to the rights of stakeholders who have legally challenged the Tariff regulations and the outcomes are subjudice at this stage,” it added.