Most residents living in South Mumbai were caught unawares when the conditional access system (CAS) was implemented.
South Mumbaikars jam the phonelines seeking DTH back-up
“On December 30, 2006, I woke up to find all pay channels off the air,” said Jyoti Khopkar, a Dadar resident. “The entire chronology of channels had gone haywire. There were only certain regional channels.” Khopkar ended up missing all her favourite year-end programmes on New Year’s eve, but she still came out ahead when it came to entertainment. She hit the party circuit with a few close friends to usher in the New Year.
Most residents living in South Mumbai were caught unawares when the conditional access system (CAS) was implemented. Even the so-called “elite” of South Mumbai were caught napping as they had planned a wait-and-watch approach. When their regular breakfast news channels went off the air, many made a mad dash to the cable operator to install a set-top box (STB).
“Some people came in their fancy cars to buy STBs,” said Ravi Mansukhani, managing director of IndusInd Media and Communications Limited, which has clientele at Colaba, Kala Chowky, Napeansea Road and Shivaji Park. “We sold over 7,000 STBs since Saturday, and had to scramble to install them.”
Most STB dealers had a tough time keeping up with demand. “Since it was the weekend, most people were enjoying a three-day holiday,” Mansukhani said. “We faced a herculean task installing the STBs.” Jagjit Singh Kohli, head of WWLL (formerly Siticable), said, “We had anticipated the situation. We just hope that we will be able to cope with the increased demand the next few days.”
But there were a few customers who managed to salvage their New Year’s entertainment. Neeta Patil, a Mahim resident, said, “I installed an STB supplied by a direct-to-home (DTH) operator. While I could view some boring channels aired by my cable operator, my last day of the year was not affected. I could see all pay channels by switching over to ‘Video 2’ mode.”
DTH customers must inform their local cable operator that they had installed STBs. “Otherwise, the cablewallah will bill you and you will also have to pay the monthly subscription charges of the DTH operator,” Mansukhani added.
Even DTH operators made brisk business. “While we cannot reveal the number of STBs installed, the demand was crazy,” said an official with Tata Sky.
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