All Entries Tagged With: "CAS"
Hathway Cable eyes huge subscriber growth post digitisation
Reports suggest that the government is planning an ordinance to scale up digitisation of the cable and satellite television industry. The move will speed up pay-TV revenues for broadcasters and curtail carriage costs. G Subramanium, chief finance officer of Hathway Cable and Datacom , in an interview to CNBC-TV18, said that in a bid to meet March deadline, government is contemplating an ordinance to expedite digitisation. Subramanium expects to see huge growth in subscribers post digitisation. “Carriage fees will go down for broadcasters post digitisation, but subscription revenue will make up »»»
Apex court orders new tariff formula for DTH operators
In a move that will ensure that the cost of cable channels will continue to remain affordable for consumers even after shifting from analogue to digital services, the Supreme Court last week ordered a new tariff formula for all digital addressable platforms. The apex court has fixed 42 per cent of non-CAS tariffs as the new benchmark for all future commercial agreements between broadcasters, direct-to-home (DTH) firms and MSOs offering digital cable services. This formula will now replace the earlier tariff orders (35 per cent by Trai in July 2010 and 50 per cent by TDSAT in July 2006). Simply »»»
Govt in favour of 74% FDI for DTH: Raghu menon
NEW DELHI: The Information & Broadcasting Ministry would like to take forward the recommendation of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) to up foreign direct investment in direct-to-home to 74 per cent but there are processes involved before this can be done, said I&B secretary Raghu Menon. Menon said DTH had taken television to the remotest corners of the country and so the government would like to encourage the sector. On another issue, he said Trai had recommended a complete switch-off of analogue by 2013, but that was a complex issue and may not be easy to implement. He »»»
23.77 mn DTH subscribers by June 2010: Trai
The DTH subscriber base has grown to 23.77 million viewers by the end of June quarter from 21.3 million users in the previous quarter, sectoral regulator the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) said today. According to Trai, six DTH licensees (excluding DD Direct) reported subscriber base of 23.77 million (for the quarter ended June 2010) as against 21.3 million at the end of March 2010, indicating an increasing penetration of the service. The DTH subscriber base stood at 15.17 million in the quarter ended June 2009. Apart from the free DTH service of Doordarshan, there are six private »»»
Cable TV operators’ SoS to Govt
GUWAHATI, Sept 5 – With threat looming on their existence due to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)’s recommendation to close analog cable TV networks by 2013, the cable TV operators of Assam have sought the help of the State Government to bail them out of the situation. A meeting of cable TV operators of Assam was convened today by Greater Guwahati Cable TV Operators Association (GGCTOA) at Guwahati, which resolved to ask the State Government to exempt their service from Assam Amusement and Betting Tax (AA&BT), till it goes digital. Operators from different parts of State »»»
Cable distribution stocks jump, but analysts are wary
Equity analysts feel that the markets have overreacted to TRAI’s recommendation of complete digitisation by 2013. Stocks in the cable distribution and DTH business, DEN Networks, Hathway Cable and Dish TV saw gains in excess of five per cent each. These gains are unsustainable and only DTH operators would reap the benefits of complete digitisation as individuals feel it is a nuisance to interact with local cable operators, said an analyst from a large broking house. DTH operators like Tata Sky, Dish TV and Reliance Big would do well as it has already been proved beyond doubt that mandatory »»»
Reduce wholesale tariff for DTH players: Assn to Trai
The DTH association of India today asked telecom regulator Trai to bring down the wholesale tariff for direct-to-home operators to 10-20 per cent of non-CAS cable tariff from the existing 35 per cent. Welcoming the new tariff order announced by Trai, the Association noted that the telecom regulator has pointed out that the effective wholesale tariff for a DTH operator was 2.47 times that of non-CAS cable tariff. “In order to create a level-playing field, we strongly recommend that the ceiling of 35 per cent be brought down to a realistic level of 10-20 per cent of the non-CAS cable tariff,” »»»
