With the CAS for cable TV across metros scheduled for a launch from January 1, direct-to-home operators are revisiting their strategies.
With CAS coming from Jan 1, old tariffs are no longer needed
NEW DELHI: With the conditional access system (CAS) for cable TV across metros scheduled for a launch from January 1, direct-to-home (DTH) operators are revisiting their strategies. To begin with, the 80:20 Tata-Star joint venture, Tata Sky, is planning to withdraw its introductory tariff scheme soon, it is learnt.
Having doubled its channel offerings from the time of launch, Tata Sky now wants to bring its pricing on a par with the industry. Under CAS, most pay channels have been priced at Rs 5 after the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) announced a ceiling of Rs 5. With that, a CAS subscriber may have to shell out much more than his current cable bill of around Rs 200-250 if he decides to buy most of the pay channels.
Currently, the Tata Sky monthly tariff for DTH is Rs 200 for 107 channels. When it had launched DTH in August, it was offering only 55 channels. At that time, it had announced the monthly tariff of Rs 200 as an introductory offer.
Tata Sky’s competition, the Essel Group’s Dish TV, offers the basic package for Rs 225 per month (inclusive of taxes), while the top-end package, which includes several interactive services and niche channels, comes for Rs 375 per month. Tata Sky officials were not available for comment on the new monthly rates that may be announced soon.
While there’s hardly any competition on content between the DTH and cable TV platforms for now, the real differentiators are being identified as quality of service and interactive channels. Both CAS and DTH require set-top boxes for accessing channels of choice. While CAS is a cable service, DTH is a satellite platform without the intervention of the cablewallah!
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}