Tariff regulation in DTH industry via a-la-carte packs won’t help much, cable operators say

PUNE: The move to regulate tariff in the direct-to-home entertainment industry won’t help much in bringing down cost for the customer, according to the leader of one of the direct-to-home operators. He did not want to be named because the matter is yet to be decided and he is one of the petitioners against the move.

The telecom regulatory authority of India has said that direct-to-home operators and cable service providers must make channels available on a a-la-carte basis to the customers and not force them with unrequired channels in packages. “It is a hassle to unbundle channels…the cost will remain the same for the customer,” he said, adding, “If each channel is priced at the proposed pricing of Rs 19 per channel, a bundle of 20 channels will be Rs 380 per month. In the same money, a customer is given more channels. So why change that?”

He further added that though DTH operators are offering channels on an a-la-carte basis for the last 5 years, people have not subscribed to it in a big way. Also, it is difficult to map cable service providers as most of their services are still un-accounted for, even if digital. “In DTH case, you can at least give us a call. What will you do with cable operators,” he said.