Tag: Trai

TRAI assures TDSAT on withdrawal of landing page order

NEW DELHI: Broadcast carriage regulator Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) assured the sector disputes tribunal yesterday during a hearing that a November 2017 order pertaining to landing or boot-up page of TV sets will be withdrawn within two weeks and the issue discussed with the stakeholders before any further move on the matter.

An order of the TRAI in November 2017 banning the use of the landing page for any other activity other than promotion of a distribution platform had been challenged by a few MSOs and broadcasters on the ground that proper process wasn’t followed by the regulator before issuing the directive.

The TRAI diktat, incidentally, had come after a clutch of news broadcasters had made allegations against a fellow TV channel of making use of the boot-up page to manipulate audience ratings and sampling of the product by viewers.

The TRAI also informed the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) that it had issued a consultation paper on 3 April 2018 to debate and discuss the landing-page issue threadbare with various stakeholders.

The landing or the bootup page is what a viewer sees first when a TV set and the connected set-top box are switched on. This page on the screen remains for a certain period of time after which the EPG or the electronic programming guide of the distribution service provider comes up. The landing page, considered hot real estate, usually carries paid advertisements of a TV channel programme or messages (like audience measurement data relating to a particular TV channel or even initial sampling of a new channel). The commercial use of the landing page results in sizable revenue for distribution platforms.

After the TRAI’s submission on the issue on Wednesday, the TDSAT noted that once the regulator withdrew its order, all the petitions would be treated as infructuous. Till then, the tribunal interim order staying the TRAI directive remains in force. The next date of hearing is 7 May 2018.

While passing the directive in November, the TRAI had said it had received a number of representations from stakeholders stating the practice of placing a registered TV channel—whose audience data was recently released—on the landing page had the potential to influence the TV audience measurements.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, in a separate order, in the first week of April 2018 had directed audience measurement organisation BARC India to desist from using landing page data of any channel for its overall audience data.

Also Read :

TRAI initiates consultation on landing page issue

MIB directs BARC to stop landing page impressions for measurements

TDSAT ‘reserves’ order on landing-page case

April 19, 2018
TRAI begins discussion on uplinking, downlinking guidelines

MUMBAI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has set the ball rolling for consultation on uplinking and downlinking guidelines with stakeholders. The regulator convened an open-house discussion (OHD) on its consultation paper on ‘issues relating to uplinking and downlinking of television channels’ in India on 11th April 2018. A number of stakeholders, including associations, broadcasters, service providers and individuals, attended the OHD.

The TRAI has initiated this consultation process to seek the views of the stakeholders on the issues involved. The objective of this consultation process is to review the provisions of the existing uplinking guidelines and downlinking guidelines so as to ensure orderly growth of the broadcasting sector and in turn provide impetus to socio-cultural and economic development, a release issued the telecom regulator stated.
A total number of 38 stakeholders have submitted their comments on the issues raised in the consultation paper.

The TRAI had floated a consultation paper on issues relating to uplink and downlink of TV channels in India mid-December 2017 on receiving a reference from the Ministry of Information anf Broadcasting (MIB) to study the particular aspect and come out with suggestions. This consultation was initiated even as the regulator had been discussing various other issues with stakeholders of the broadcast and cable sectors on ease of doing business and inputs for the National Telecom Policy (NTP) 2018. Subsequently it submitted its recommendations to the government on the ease of doing business and NTP.

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MIB nod to TV channels on hold till TRAI uplink, downlink suggestions

MIB proposes installation of chip in DTH boxes: Report

April 16, 2018
MIB proposes installation of chip in DTH boxes: Report

MUMBAI: In order to make the measurement process of viewership better, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has proposed of an in-built chip in set-top boxes (STBs). According to a report by The Asian Age, the ministry has sought that all direct-to-home (DTH) operators should install a chip in all new set-top boxes to record data about channels watched and their duration.

The MIB has made this recommendation to the regulatory body Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The proposal was squeezed into the voluminious DTH sector recommendations and the TRAI has asked for a separate and detailed proposal in regard to the matter.

“Regarding asking DTH operators to instal a chip in new STBs, it is stated that this is a new issue and cannot be part of the reference. If the MIB desires the TRAI’s recommendation on this issue, it may send a separate reference to TRAI as per the provisions of TRAI Act 1997,” TRAI said in a communication to the ministry.

If the step is taken, it would ensure a wider and better measurement system of viewership preferences across the country. Other than that, the move may also lead to the end of the Broadcast Audience Research Council’s (BARC) monopoly in the measurement system.

The proposal of allowing the renewal of licences to only DTH operators that have no dues pending to government has been approved by the TRAI.

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TRAI bats for issuing DTH licences for 20 years

BARC begins new subscription service PreView

April 14, 2018
TRAI bats for issuing DTH licences for 20 years

MUMBAI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has reiterated its recommendation to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) that direct-to-home licences be issued for a period of 20 years and then renewed for 10 years, and a one-time entry fee of Rs 10 crore be charged in the new DTH licensing regime.

In July 2014, the TRAI had made a number of recommendations regarding the issues related to the new DTH licensing regime.

However, the MIB had proposed, after considering comments from other ministries and departments, to grant DTH license for an initial period of 10 years and thereafter, renewal of license after 10 years.

The ministry had sought TRAI’s views on the proposal.

In its response yesterday, the telecom regulator said, “It is felt that a longer licence period would provide certainty in the market.

Keeping a short license period may adversely affect the potential investment in the sector and would also negate the efforts of the government, inter alia, including the liberalisation of the FDI regime”.

Stating that a longer duration of license helps in better futuristic business planning, the TRAI noted that in the telecom sector, the license period under the Unified License (UL) regime is 20 years and renewal is 10 years at a time.

“In view of the growing convergence between the broadcasting and telecom sectors, it is logical to align the license period for DTH sector with that in the telecom sector under the UL.

In view of above, TRAI reiterates its earlier recommendations,” it said.

Under the UL, operators are free to provide all telecom services with one licence.

Currently, the license is valid for 10 years.

The TRAI also reiterated its recommendation of one-time entry fee of Rs 10 crore to be charged in the new DTH licensing regime.

The MIB, however, proposed to increase the one-time entry fee to Rs 25 crore for the license period of 10 years.

In its response, the TRAI said, “In order to encourage more entrants in the DTH industry, and to compete with the cable industry, wherein there is no entry fee, the TRAI recommends to retain the entry fee to Rs 10 crore”.

Currently, the DTH operators also need to pay an initial entry fee of Rs 10 crore.

April 13, 2018
MIB says ISRO upping capacity to facilitate migration from foreign satellites

NEW DELHI: The Indian government has admitted that inadequate capacity on Indian satellites has compelled domestic direct to home (DTH) operators to use a large number of transponders on foreign satellites and that India’s space agency Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is gearing up to meet growing demands owing to proliferation of HD TV channels.

“Presently DTH services are being supported by 42 transponders on indigenous satellites (INSAT/GSAT) and about 69 transponders on foreign satellites. There is a registered demand of additional about 64 transponders for immediate future,” junior minister at Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) Rajyavardhan Rathore informed fellow parliamentarians in Lok Sabha or the Lower House of Parliament recently.

Without stating it in so many words though, Rathore said that as ISRO increases its satellite capacity to be able to meet the demands of Indian DTH operators, a migration from foreign satellites would become a reality — a move that MIB and Department of Space are slowly implementing to nudge users of satellite services, especially TV channels, to move away from non-Indian birds.

“It is expected that over a period of next three years adequate capacity would be added through Indian satellites to facilitate migration of foreign capacity to Indian [satellite] capacity,” the minister said, adding, according to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) data, there has been a significant growth in the number of high definition (HD) satellite TV channels. The number has grown from three in 2010 to 83 in 2017.

Dwelling on TRAI’s recommendations on sharing of infrastructure on a voluntary basis, Rathore clarified that till date MIB has not received any proposal from DTH operators for sharing of satellite transponders and earth station facilities with another such player or distribution platforms. “Enabling sharing of infrastructure may address the issue of demand-supply mismatch and reduce capital and operating expenditure of the service provider to an appreciable extent,” he added.

Meanwhile, addressing another set of queries raised by parliamentarians relating to DTH, the minister said a total number of 1922 complaints/grievances against private DTH service providers were received through monitoring systems of the government and TRAI over the last three years on various issues ranging from technical/financial/policy matters to delay or improper installation, malfunctioning of STBs, issues of interoperability, disruption of signals during bad weather, improper billing, channel packaging, FTA channels, etc. As many as 1811 complaints were addressed by MIB till date.

As soon as complaints are received, they are brought to the attention of the DTH operator concerned and later a follow-up action too is undertaken to evaluate compliance and whether the problems were resolved or not, the minister explained.

According to the minister, sector regulator TRAI had issued last year a set of tariff guidelines to boost healthy competition among DTH service providers and bring down the subscription prices for consumers. The guidelines were legally contested by some stakeholders and are awaiting judicial advice, he added.

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MIB, DoS nudge TV channel to use Indian satellites

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April 7, 2018
TRAI urges govt to set up public wi-fi systems

MUMBAI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is of the opinion that the the government must encourage public wi-fi solutions from a public policy point of view. “The availability of broadband services at a very low cost and in every corner of the country is the basic requirement of digital India,” it said in a report.

In the report on ‘Public Wi-Fi Open Pilot Project’, submitted to the Telecoms Ministry, TRAI said, “Wi-fi is a technology that can easily meet this requirement [for digital India]. The recommendation envisages an architecture that supports one time authentication requirement, interoperability across different wi-fi networks, ease of payment through any instrument and above all inexpensive service.”

According to TRAI, global internet traffic is anticipated to increase three times to 3.3 ZB per year by 2021 from 1.2 ZB per year in 2016 and wi-fi will play an important role in driving that growth. Public wi-fi hotspots are crucial for broadband internet in international countries. As per a Cisco report, the number of public wi-fi hotspots is set to increase from 94 million in 2016 to 541.6 million in 2021. The density of WiFi hotspots will also increase from one hotspot for 150 people to one hotspot for 20 people.

The authority noted that India significantly lags behind other countries in terms of providing access to broadband, especially to people in rural areas. Since there is a significant section of the population still to be connected, it feels there is a need to take some measures so as to provide broadband services to the unconnected. This calls for introduction of new set of small players in the wi-fi service provisioning space, who will be able to extend their resources through a process of incentivisation.

The report shows that mobile network data usage in India remains dominant currently as compared to other forms of internet usage. This can be attributed to a number of factors, including the cost and affordability of different broadband services, lack of fixed line coverage and relatively small number of public wi-fi zones. “This situation highlights the need for better proliferation of public wi-fi networks that can offer a more affordable and flexible alternative for scaling up of internet access,” it says.

The regulator has come prepared. In 2017, it conducted a pilot trial of the suggested framework in the recommendations. Several companies registered to be app providers, software and hardware service providers and public data offices with a vision to ‘establish an open architecture based on wi-fi access network interface (WANI)’ in such a way that smaller entities were easily able to setup systems and users were able to easily identify and connect to them. Its opinion is that the prices must be of lower denominations such as Rs 2.

The pilot was conducted to demonstrate that unbundling of services reduces rework, speeds up development and hence is the most effective way to tackle this complex problem. It also highlighted that multi-provider, inter-operable, collaborative model increases the overall innovation in the system, dismantles monopolies and encourages passing of benefits to end user. The pilot allowed for real life testing and suggestion of improvements as well as fine tune technology.

The public wi-fi pilot outcome aims to offer a seamless experience to end users. As an encouragement for small entrepreneurs such as tea shops, grocery shops to set up and maintain access points, it wants to uncomplicated issues like unbundling authentication, payment and accounting from hardware and software running on the access point.

TRAI mentions the operating guidelines to include a speed of at least 2 Mbps and e-KYC linked to Aadhaar or m-KYC via OTP authentication. The providers must set up systems capable of withstanding cyber attacks such as malware, denial of service (DoS) and even customer data and privacy protection.

It calls the pilot a success since 96.3 per cent of the persons found the system user friendly and just 3.7 per cent of the persons believed that there is still a scope for improvement. It now intends to expand the second phase in two large cities – Delhi and Bengaluru – at junctures like airports, railway/metro stations, bus stands and other public places. This will allow testing WANI framework at scale.

As an encouragement, TRAI says that the success of the pilot addresses the issues of interoperability and payment options. The WANI architecture would unleash the power of wi-fi and provide an impetus to the number of public hotspots in the country thereby providing the user a good quality of service and also a foolproof payment system.

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Industry hails doubling of digital allocation

Wi-Fi: TRAI plans to set up ‘open’ WANI, seeks inter-operable, sachet-priced model

April 6, 2018
MIB directs BARC to stop landing page impressions for measurements

MUMBAI: Clamping down on the practice of running a channel on multiple logical channel numbers (LCNs) allegedly for influencing television ratings, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has advised the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) to discontinue the adoption of landing channels for the purposes of television audience measurement with immediate effect. Moreover, the ministry has asked BARC to send a compliance report on the same.

According to government sources, noncompliance on the landing page advisory “shall be violation of the Policy Guidelines for Television Rating Agencies in India.”

The development comes close on the heels of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) statement on the issue on Tuesday. The telecom regulator issued a consultation paper to discuss the issue of the landing page (the page that appears when one switches on the STB and the TV set) and its many uses and misuses with the industry stakeholders.

Pointing out that the practice of running a channel on multiple logical channel numbers (LCNs) allegedly for influencing television rating was brought to the notice of the regulator, the TRAI statement said. Some TV channels allegedly, in collusion, with the distributors, placed some television channels on multiple LCNs (meaning at several places in different programming genres in the EPG), it added.

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TRAI initiates consultation on landing page issue

TDSAT ‘reserves’ order on landing-page case

TRAI tightens landing-page norms

April 5, 2018
TRAI initiates consultation on landing page issue

NEW DELHI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the telecoms and broadcast regulator, now wants to discuss the issue of the landing page (the page that appears when one switches on the STB and the TV set) and its many uses and misuses with the industry stakeholders. The regulator issued a consultation paper in this regard today.

Pointing out that the practice of running a channel on multiple logical channel numbers (LCNs) allegedly for influencing television rating was brought to the notice of the regulator, the TRAI statement said. Some TV channels allegedly, in collusion, with the distributors, placed some television channels on multiple LCNs (meaning at several places in different programming genres in the EPG), it added.

“As the TV channel ratings measurement is done on the basis of a unique water mark ID of a channel, the data of viewership of all such multiple LCNs is aggregated and reflects in the final ratings,” the statement said, adding that on the receipt of complaints the TRAI intervened last year and acted as per the provision of existing regulations.

The TRAI has gone on to say that alleged irregularities in trying to influence audience measurement and subsequent data later shifted to the landing page and that it received quite a few complaints regarding the same.

Some of the issues raised by the TRAI in its consultation paper on the landing page include the following:

· Do you feel that the emerging concept of placing TV channels on

the landing page can influence TRP ratings? Suggest the action,

which may address the issue with justification.

· Should the concept of a landing page be defined? If so, please

suggest the definition of the landing page with justification.

· Whether placing of a TV channel on the landing page increases

television ratings? If yes, why TV channels whose TV ratings

are released by a TV rating agency should not be barred from

being placed on the landing page? If no, why are broadcasters eager to place their channels on the landing page?

· What should be the criteria/consideration to put a TV

channel on a landing page?

· Can placing of TV channels on the landing page be mitigated through changes in measurement methodology of television ratings?

· Should the landing page be used to place TV channels not

having TRP rating or only to provide platform specific

information? Give suggestions with justification.

April 3, 2018
MIB nod to TV channels on hold till TRAI uplink, downlink suggestions

MUMBAI: It’s official now. The Indian government has put on hold, since January 2018, clearances of new applications for TV channels till the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) comes out with recommendations on issues relating to uplinking and downlinking of TV channels.

According to government sources, in a note circulated mid-January 2018 by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) it was proposed to keep in “abeyance” permissions to all new TV channels till a “new policy” was put in place after studying recommendations from broadcast and telecoms regulator TRAI.

TRAI had floated a consultation paper on issues relating to uplink and downlink of TV channels in India mid-December 2017 on receiving a reference from the MIB to study the particular aspect and come out with suggestions. This consultation was initiated even as the regulator had been discussing various other issues with stakeholders of the broadcast and cable sectors on ease of doing business and inputs for the National Telecom Policy 2018. Subsequently, it submitted its recommendations to the government on ease of doing business and the NTP.

Even as the TRAI is yet to formulate its recommendations on uplink and downlink of TV channels, as an indirect fallout of the MIB proposal—as also certain other feedback from agencies like the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA)—the government has also put on hold processing any change being sought by existing TV channels.

The sources indicated that out of the 97-odd applications from TV channels under-process, 30 are fresh applications. Show-cause notices have also been issued by the MIB to some 100 companies on the advice of the MCA for various irregularities. Out of the companies asked to explain, three had applied for clearances for additional TV channels.

Meanwhile, in its consultation paper on uplink and downlink of TV channels, amongst various other points, the TRAI had raised the following issues also:

· Should net-worth requirement of the applicant company for granting uplinking permission, and/or downlinking permission be increased?

· Should there be different net-worth requirements for uplinking of news and non-news channels?

· Whether auction of satellite TV channels as a complete package, similar to FM radio channels, is feasible?

· Is it technically feasible to auction individual legs of satellite TV broadcasting, that is uplinking space spectrum, satellite transponder capacity, and downlinking space spectrum?

· Is it feasible to auction satellite TV channels without restricting the use of foreign satellites, and uplinking of signals of TV channels from foreign soil?

· If it is decided to continue granting of licenses for satellite TV channels on administrative basis, as is the case presently, what should be the entry fee for grant of license for uplinking of TV channels from India, downlinking of TV channels uplinked from India, and downlinking of foreign TV channels?

· What should be the license fees structure, that is fixed, variable, or semi-variable, for uplinking and downlinking of satellite TV channels? Please elaborate if any other license fee structure is proposed, with appropriate justification.

· If the variable license fee structure is proposed, then what should be rate of license fee for TV channels uplinked from India and TV channels uplinked from abroad, and what should be the definition of AGR (annual gross revenue)?

· If the semi-variable license fee structure is proposed, then what should be the minimum amount of license fee per annum for domestic channels (uplinked and downlinked in India), uplink only channels, and downlinking of foreign channels (uplinked from abroad)?

· If the fixed license fee structure is proposed, then what should be the license fee per annum for domestic channels, uplink only channels, and downlinking of foreign channels?

· What should be the periodicity for payment of the license fee to the government? Please support your answer with justification.

· What should be the periodicity for review of the entry fee and license fee rates?

. Should all TV channels, i.e, pay as well as FTA satellite TV channels, be broadcasted through satellite in encrypted mode?

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No new channels added in December 2017

MIB, DoS nudge TV channel to use Indian satellites

MIB reverts to earlier norms of seeking nod from ISRO on uplink/downlink of TV channels

April 2, 2018
Oct-Dec quarter sees highest pay TV DTH subscriber growth in 2017

BENGALURU: After the debacle created by demonetisation in November 2016 and then the implementation of the new Goods and Services Tax regime in July 2017, the fortunes of the pay TV direct-to-home (DTH) industry seem to be improving in terms of subscriber addition. Quarterly data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) indicates that the industry added net 22.5 lakh (2.25 million) subscribers for the quarter ended 31 December 2017 (October to December17 quarter). Throughout the calendar year 2017 (CY-2017), the industry had added 49.1 lakh (4.91 million subscribers), hence the final quarter of CY-2017 accounted for about 46 percent of the net subscribers added during the year.The Oct-Dec17 quarter had the highest quarter-on-quarter pay-TV DTH subscriber growth in CY-2017 at 3.45 percent. The number of active pay-TV DTH subscribers in India as per TRAI data as on 31 December 2017 was 675.6 lakh or 67.56 million as compared to 653.1 lakh (65.31 million) in the Jun-Sep17 quarter.

As mentioned by us earlier, CY-2017 saw muted pay-TV DTH subscriber growth. Those numbers were based on the results declared by three private DTH players whose numbers are available in the public domain. They are: Indian telecom major Bharti Airtel’s Airtel Digital TV (Airtel DTH), the Essel group’s Dish TV and Videocon d2h. The other three private pay-TV players during a part of CY-2017 were Tata Sky, the Sun TV Network’s Sun Direct and Reliance Big TV. It may be noted that Reliance Big TV has been acquired by Pantel Technologies and Veecon Media. Normal operations have to recommence as yet. A number of Big TV customers were acquired by other players and the true status of its operations and current subscriber numbers are still unclear at the time of writing of this paper. Furthermore, the merger of Videocon d2h into Dish TV has been recently concluded, and the combined entity has the second largest pay-TV subscriber base in the world.

Be that as it may, the share of the three major players in the Oct-Dec17 quarter (in order of number of subscribers–Dish TV, Airtel DTH and Videocon d2h) has been declining from about 65 percent to 64 percent in the Jun-Sep17 quarter to an even lower 63 percent in the Oct-Dec17 quarter. It may be noted that Tata Sky subscriber base could be higher than Airtel’s subscriber base. Tata Sky data is not available in the public domain, and hence this cannot be verified or neglected.

Besides the six private pay DTH players, Doordarshan’s (DD) FreeDish DTH service is a major player in terms of subscribers with an estimated 2.2 crore as per the numbers available in the public domain. It must, however, be noted that an exact number of registered or active subscribers is not available even with DD since this is a free DTH service.According to an E&Y report titled ‘India’s Free TV’ released in July 2017, among the DTH operators in India DD FreeDish has grown to become the largest with its estimated 2.2 crore subscribers which E&Y predicted could cross 4 crore over the next two to three years.

Please refer to the figure below for the trends of pay-TV subscribers based on TRAI data and the numbers published by the three players in the public domain. Q-o-q growth for the Jan-Mar16 quarter cannot be compared with the Oct-Dec15 quarter since TRAI changed the way it measured active DTH subscribers in the Jan-Mar16 quarter.

Also Read :

DTH adds 14 lakh active subscribers in Q2-17 as per TRAI data

DTH subscriber growth muted in CY-2017

DTH subscriber growth down in second quarter

March 28, 2018