All Entries Tagged With: "Free-To-Air"
Prasar Bharati to bid out DTH operations to private players
New Delhi: In what would be a first for a public service broadcaster anywhere in the world, Prasar Bharati is set to outsource the operational and technical management of its free-to-air direct-to-home (DTH) service DD Direct+ to private DTH operators like Dish TV, Tata Sky and others based on a tendering process. Sources said Doordarshan will float a request for proposal (RFP) this week which will invite eligible private DTH and teleport operators to take over the operational command and control of DD Direct+ for the next five years for a fixed monthly fee. The move, according to DD officials, »»»
Tdsat leaves DD’s DTH to decide on channels to carry
NEW DELHI: The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (Tdsat) has said Prasar Bharati is ‘best equipped’ to decide which channel should form part of its DTH bouquet so as to attract viewers and at the same time discharge its duties under Section 12 of the Prasar Bharati Act. This right of Prasar Bharati cannot be defeated for the petty commercial gains of any channels, Tdsat said, disposing off two similar petitions. Justice SB Sinha, Chairperson, and members GD Gaiha and PK Rastogi also said that it was for Prasar Bharati to take a decision as to which channel is to be carried »»»
Trai reviews cable TV tariff in Cas areas
NEW DELHI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) is reviewing the tariff for cable TV service in Cas (conditional access system) notified areas. The areas under review are: tariff for basic service tier, retail price for a pay channel, tariff options for supply of set-top boxes (STBs) and revenue share arrangement between service providers. Trai had earlier fixed the current cap on maximum retail price of pay channels at Rs 5.35 (excluding taxes). Two rental schemes on STBs were also mandated by the sector regulator for cable TV operators to offer to their subscribers – Rs 34 a »»»
Doordarshan to strengthen DTH platform
National broadcaster Doordarshan is seeking to strengthen its direct-to-home (DTH) platform – DD Direct Plus – and expects to have some 200 channels on its platform by end of the Eleventh Five-Year Plan or 2012. At present, DD Direct Plus has a bouquet of 57 Free-to-Air (FTA) channels. In the first phase by the end of 2010, DD Direct Plus aims to have about 100 FTA channels. In second phase, it is targeting 200 channels of which many will be FTA channels. Currently, 31 of the 57 channels are from the DD stable. Strong response “We have an overwhelming response from private channels »»»
Soon, watch 200 channels free
If you’re happy watching just the free to air (FTA) channels, you can indeed get them entirely free of cost by the end of the year. All you need do is install a set top box. Currently, the various direct to home (DTH) service providers — Tata Sky, Dish TV, Reliance Big TV among others — offer various ‘bouquets’ of free and paid channels, which cost between Rs 80 to Rs 1,200 per month. With the new option Doordarshan is planning, you won’t have to pay anything at all. Doordarshan has its own DTH service already, called DD Direct, and it is free, but it provides only 59 FTA channels, »»»
