Finance
Following the implementation of the New Tariff Order 3.0, India’s three leading television broadcasters, Zee Entertainment, Star, and Sony, have left the cable network due to pricing issues.
This new move has upended the Indian media landscape and is expected to affect nearly 45 million cable TV subscribers.
In November, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) restored the maximum retail price (MRP) of a TV channel included in a bouquet. With its purchase, the television channel prices in the bouquet increased by about 10-15%.
The implementation of NTO 3.0 on February 1 with price increases ranging from 10% to 25% caused disputes between media companies and local cable operators, resulting in many channels being taken off the air due to pricing disagreements.
The All India Digital Cable Federation (AIDCF) announced on Saturday that its members will not sign the new agreements in protest of the broadcasters’ unreasonable pricing.
Meanwhile, the Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation (IBDF) stated in a statement that some cable operators did not sign new agreements, forcing them to disconnect their services after providing due notice.
Source:SE
