KOLKATA: Television channel broadcasters have moved the Supreme Court<\/a> against the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s decision to cap channel price in bouquets at Rs 12 from December 1. The Indian Broadcasting and Digital Federation<\/a> (IBDF) — a broadcasters’ body — has placed before the apex court a proposal that involves moving most of their popular channels out of packages and offering them individually at a price that is 30%-50% higher than the existing rates. A verdict is expected later this month.
If the IBDF’s proposal is accepted, monthly cable<\/a> TV<\/a> subscription price could rise by around 50% over 2019 from next month. Some of the major broadcasters, including Star & Disney India, Sony Pictures Networks India, Zee Entertainment and Viacom 18, have come up with new price lists keeping their flagship channels out of bouquets and pricing them between Rs 15-30.
KOLKATA: Television channel broadcasters have moved the Supreme Court<\/a> against the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s decision to cap channel price in bouquets at Rs 12 from December 1. The Indian Broadcasting and Digital Federation<\/a> (IBDF) — a broadcasters’ body — has placed before the apex court a proposal that involves moving most of their popular channels out of packages and offering them individually at a price that is 30%-50% higher than the existing rates. A verdict is expected later this month.
If the IBDF’s proposal is accepted, monthly cable<\/a> TV<\/a> subscription price could rise by around 50% over 2019 from next month. Some of the major broadcasters, including Star & Disney India, Sony Pictures Networks India, Zee Entertainment and Viacom 18, have come up with new price lists keeping their flagship channels out of bouquets and pricing them between Rs 15-30.
Local cable operators fear such a hike will deal a crippling blow to the cable TV industry. “Two years ago, channel prices went up by around 40% and it led to a dip in subscription in Kolkata. This time, another 25%-30% hike has been proposed which, in effect, will lead to a 50%-60% rise in subscription charges since 2019,” said Tapash Das, joint convenor of All Bengal Cable TV and Broadband Operators’ United Forum.
Kolkata has around 30 lakh cable TV homes.
Two years ago, a ceiling of Rs 19 had been set for individual channels within bouquets. “Unfortunately, it was not mentioned if the price could be hiked if a channel was offered individually,” said Mrinal Chatterjee of Bengal Broadband. He added that a sharp hike would now lead many subscribers to shift to OTT<\/a> platforms.
As per the IBDF proposal, major sports, entertainment, infotainment and movie channels will now be priced between Rs 15-30. While all broadcasters are yet to announce new prices, some like Sony have proposed a price of Rs 30 for entertainment channel SET (HD), Rs 28 for SAB (HD) and Rs 25 each for sports channels TEN 1 and TEN 2.
“So far, the highest price of premier channels like Star Movies, Zee TV<\/a>, Star Plus, SET Max, sports channels of Star and Sony was Rs 19 and these were all available in bouquets. Now, not only will consumers have to pay a higher price for these on a la carte basis, they will have to subscribe to bouquets as well if they want a fair mix of everything. As a result, the monthly subscription will go up by at least 50%,” said Das.
An average Kolkata subscriber now pays between Rs 350-400 a month, mostly for channels in packages. “Very few subscribe to channels individually. The average number of channels subscribed by consumers had gone down after the price hike two years ago. It was a sharp hike and many unsubscribed the expensive pay channels. A large section opted out of movie and sports channels. Some have since been subscribing to sports channels temporarily when a big sporting event is on,” said Chatterjee.
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