ITV

Tag: Ponnacha

  • Bangalore HC asks Udaya to maintain status quo

    Bangalore HC asks Udaya to maintain status quo

    BANGALORE: The ongoing tussle between Udaya channel and eight Bangalore cable operators has taken a new turn as the High Court has reportedly passed an interim order asking the Sun Network’s Kannada bouquet to maintain the status quo as on 26 December 2003.
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    The status quo is to be maintained between The Sun Network and the eight cable operators only. Notices have been issued to the Union Government, Telecom Regulating Authority of India (TRAI) and the Sun Network by justice P Vishwanath Shetty.

     
    As reported earlier, the cable operators have been resisting Udaya TV, along with Udaya News and Ushe going into pay mode from 1 August 2004.

    Resorting to protest rallies and dharnas, the cable operators under the Karnataka Cable TV Operators Association (KSTOA) and the Karnataka Cable Operators Welfare Association have been forcing the Sun Network to reverse its decision.

    KCTOA spokesperson Ponnacha told Indiantelevision.com, “Eight cable operators comprising Patrick Raja, Ram Prasad Gowda, Narsimaha, Lokesh, Sathya Kumar, K Seethamurthy, Sudesh Kumar and myself had appealed to the High Court on Monday that the TRAI order had been violated by Sun and was harming the Industry. The High Court has passed an interim order directing the Sun Network to maintain the status quo regarding the charges prevailing as on 26 December 2003 as per the tariff order of Trai dated 15 January 2004. This is for six weeks. The next hearing is on 28 September.”

    Sun Network officials were reportedly not present at the High Court during the hearing. When contacted, the network spokesperson refused to comment on the developments. Udaya TV vice-president Vijay Kumar was unavailable for comment.

  • Karnataka cable ops-Udaya talks fail

    BANGALORE: The Karnataka cable fraternity have come away disappointed after yet another attempt by them to get the Udaya Network to rethink its decision to turn pay from 1 August failed.

    A delegation representing cable operators from all the districts from Karnataka today met Vijay Kumar, vice-president Udaya TV, at the network’s headquarters in Bangalore in an attempt to “resolve the impasse”. According to Karnataka State Cable TV Operators Association (KSOA) spokesperson Ponnacha, the cable operators proposed that Udaya News and Ushe go pay while Udaya continue as a free to air channel.

    This was unacceptable to Vijay Kumar who according to Ponnacha had this to say: “You (cable operators) are willing to allow foreigners like Sony and Star to take away money from India, but when an Indian company wants money which will remain in India, you are refusing co-operation and creating problems.”

    “The cable operators from across the state, now present in Bangalore, will decide the next course of action shortly,” Ponnacha said.

    Inspite of repeated calls and a personal visit to the offices of the Sun Network by this correspondent, no response or statement was forthcoming from Vijay Kumar or any other official from Udaya/Sun.

    As reported earlier, Udaya Network’s market leader Udaya TV, along with Udaya News and Ushe, became dearer by Rs 18 as of 1 August. Udaya TV became encrypted from 1 August, while the other two channels were already running as encrypted feeds.

  • Bangalore corporation adds to cable ops’ woes

    BANGALORE: The cup of woes overfloweth for the Bangalore cable operators and harassed viewers who are likely to miss out on the Asia cup if the Bangalore City Corporation (BCC) has its way. The corporation has given just three days to cable operators to remove illegal cables using street lights, after which they have threatened to chop them off and initiate strict action against the defaulters.
     

    On the day the Karnataka chief minister N Dharam Singh gave some reprieve to the operators by asking the state government run power utility Bangalore Electric Supply Company (Bescom) to stop cutting cables, the BCC has had its shot at the cable operators.

    Singh directed Bescom to carry out streetwise inspection of loose wires and to resort to cutting only after the operator fails to act within 20 days.

    The cable operators associations in turn have asked all the operators to inspect and spruce up their connections. The cable operators have agreed to sit down and make any improvements implement safety measures over and above those prevalent in the industry if any are suggested by the authorities.

    Unconfirmed industry sources say that some cable cutting had occurred yesterday, but, on a much lower scale as compared to the earlier phase when Bescom was indiscriminate in its “frenzy”.

    Newspaper reports say Bescom has agreed to abide by a Bangalore city court ruling. Industry sources allege that Zee has even claimed damages from bescom. Zee representatives had not accompanied the delegates who met the chief minister yesterday, though Zee was one of the signatories to the memorandum submitted to Bescom on 14 July.

    One of the positives of this sad happening is that for once all the cable operators and MSOs were united. We have a common platform now. This episode has also opened our eyes and is a step towards getting ourselves fully organized and committed to customer safety says Ponnacha, spokesman for the Karnataka State Cable TV Association. Laying of fibre optic cables is being considered across Karnataka, including villages, instead of the co-axial cables for all new connections is one of the first steps. This will ensure quality transmission and enhance safety for the end user. We are also planning to approach the government and financial institutions for assistance, Ponnacha says.

    Regarding the BCC threat, Ponnacha said cable operators would like to sort out problems directly and that they are wiling to implement any changes and adopt any measures or changes suggested by the power utility company. We shall try and work out the modalities with them, he said, while leaving for a meeting with some cable operators, rather than confronting them with court orders etc.”