Prasar Bharati to restore 5 channels on DD Direct: Tdsat

NEW DELHI: The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (Tdsat) has complied with the Delhi High Court order dated 23 September, which had allowed Prasar Bharati to charge Rs 6 million as its carriage amount in order to restore five channels on the DTH platform, DD Direct Plus.

The channels included three from Zee network (Zee Smile, Zee Jagran and ETC Music), Total TV and Chardhikala Time TV.

Prasar Bharati had challenged Tdsat’s order limiting DD Plus’s carriage fee to Rs 2.5 million per channel. After Delhi High Court’s single judge bench upheld Tdsat’s order, Prasar Bharati filed a letter patent appeal (LPA) before the double bench judge.

Earlier on 3 September, Tdsat had ordered Prasar Bharati to restore signals of two channels – Total TV and Chardhikala Time TV. It had further ordered Prasar Bharati not to charge more than Rs 2.5 million as carriage fee.

Subsequently on 10 September, Tdsat had ordered Prasar Bharati to restore signals of Zee Group’s three channels – Zee Smile, Zee Jagran and ETC Music.

Prasar Bharati then moved the Supreme Court as it did not want to carry Zee Smile, Zee Jagran and ETC Music, Total TV and Chardhikala Time TV on its DD Direct Plus DTH platform.

The case has been listed for hearing on 11 November in Tdsat.