The Seemandhra Cable TV Operators Welfare Association (SCOWA) has requested the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to set aside the implementation of the Amended Regulatory Framework (NTO 2.0). In a letter to TRAI, signed by the General Secretary of the Association, Mr. R.S. Raju has reminded once again about the objective with which the NTO 1.0 was amended and how the interests of the consumers have also gone for a toss.
Bringing certain basic facts to the notice of TRAI, the letter has mentioned that while the broadcasters have the liberty to price their channels at their will, the LCO is deprived of such a liberty where the NCF is capped on one hand and the same for an additional TV set is limited to 40%. “The broadcasters have been abusing their liberty by adopting to an irrational pricing model and the same has led to substantial decline of the subscriber base of the LCOs, since the implementation of NTO 1.0.The Authority has itself acknowledged the huge decline in the cable television subscriber baser from 110 million in 2019 to 90 million in 2021” the letter said. While drawing the attention of the Authority to the MRPs of the premiere channels that have been published by the broadcasters in their latest RIOs, the SCOWA has said that that most of the broadcaster shave increased prices of their main channels by 30 to 60 percent. It said that such hike in pricing would only lead to huge increase in the cable cost to be paid by the consumers and questioned as to how it would be in the interest of the consumers. In such a scenario, SCOWA apprehended that the Local Cable Operators will have to close their operations and will be jobless.
SCOWA categorically mentioned that the broadcasters are the only beneficiaries and that they are guided with the objective of increasing their revenues, even at the cost of the consumers. In view of this, it has appealed TRAI for permanent deferment of NTO 2.0. The Association has reminded TRAI the OTT platforms and DD FreeDish have now become alternative to the cable television platforms due to the fact that the pay channels and linear channels are permitted to be carried on such platforms. Under such circumstances, SCOWA is of the opinion that “the implementation of NTO 2.0 framework will lead to a substantial decline in the subscriber base of the LCOs as the consumers will treat the OTT platforms as a favorable alternative in comparison to continuing with cable television subscriptions at such high costs.” As such SCOWA has asked TRAI to permanently defer the implementation of NTO 2.0 on humanitarian grounds since it is likely to impact the lives of millions of people dependent on the revenues from cable television business.
