IPTV and DTH operators to get similar treatment from broadcasters

New Delhi, June 13 (UNI) In a development that would facilitate faster growth of IPTV services, the broadcasters have broadly agreed to offer channels on a-la-carte basis and also to offer the same bouquets to the service providers offering IPTV service as are being offered to DTH operators.

The agreement emerged after an interactive session with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India(TRAI).

It was also broadly agreed that the rates of bouquets and a-la-carte rates of pay channels so offered for IPTV services would be same as being offered to DTH operators, i.e., at fifty percent of the rates applicable for non-CAS cable TV networks.

''The Authority's clear and unambiguous advice was that DTH and IPTV platform should receive similar and uniform treatment as uniquely addressable system. It views this as a positive step on the part of the broadcasters to move towards uniform pricing for different service providers.

Earlier, the Authority had recommended, among others, that the uplinking / downlinking guidelines should be amended to enable the broadcasters to provide signals to all distributors of TV channels including IPTV service providers.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has conveyed its agreement with the recommendations of the Authority.

However, some of the service providers had experienced difficulties in getting television channels from the broadcasters at prices on which DTH service providers were getting in line with TRAI's determination of a-la-carte and bouquet prices on advisory basis.

The broadcasters agreed to TRAI recommendations after the Authority has held discussions with them on the subject.

UNI NAZ LS AS2019