Can Netflix avoid going Apple’s way in India?

As Netflix inches closer to saturation point in its North American home market, it is desperately looking for growth abroad. India being the only billion plus market where it can operate with ease, it is no wonder that its push is aggressive here. However, as Netflix’s market share stagnates, does it risk meeting the same […]

Festival season fails to cheer HT Media results

HT Media, one of India’s top English-language news publishers, continued to report falling revenue and profits, even as the expected boost from a delayed festival season failed to materialize. The company reported a 2.5% year-on-year decline in its revenue for the Oct-Dec quarter, while operating profit (EBITDA) plunged 57%. Revenue came in at Rs 665 […]

Channel Tariffs: TRAI ‘clarification’ creates massive confusion

A clarification by broadcast regulator TRAI intended to stop cable and DTH operators from forcing ‘junk channels’ on customers has created massive confusion, with media outlets failing to understand what the regulator was trying to say, and in turn confusing their readers. TRAI had, on January 10, clarified that there was no rule that the […]

TRAI denies media report on offering 100 pay channels for Rs 153 under new tariff rule

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has denied a news report published by a major daily in India, claiming that the Authority has issued an order giving 100 free or pay channels for Rs 153. An official pointed out that the Authority has issued no such new rule, and that it is not possible to provide […]

2019: The Turning Point for Indian M&E?

Growth trends of last decade show that Indian M&E can act as an important contributor to India’s economic growth, but the sector continues to be a dwarf compared to its global peers. Can 2019 prove to be a point of inflection and kick-start next decade of explosive growth? The year was 2009 when Indian media […]

CHANNEL PRICES: TRAI botches new tariff rollout; could hurt BJP in 2019

The curious case of TRAI’s implementation of the its 2017 Tariff Order, which threatens to add yet another negative factor for NDA in upcoming polls, can be an excellent case study of what ails India’s legal and regulatory system. The saga started almost two years ago with four companies — Star India, Discovery Communications, Tata […]

TRAI again asks users to switch to new plans, Tata Sky says ‘wait please’

Even as broadcast regulator TRAI sent out yet another reminder to cable and DTH users in the country to switch to new plans under the 2017 tariff order, India’s biggest DTH operator continued to ask users to wait for the “tariff order to become applicable” and for “channel prices to be finalized”. The apparent disconnect […]

DTH, cable subscribers complain of being moved to ‘junk’ plans ahead of TRAI deadline

With the telecom and media regulator asking for daily reports from DTH and cable players on migration of consumers to TRAI-compliant plans ahead of the Jan 31 deadline, many consumers have complained of being moved to unwanted packs by their providers. Under TRAI Tariff Order 2017, all cable and DTH subscribers have to be moved […]

TRAI RULES: Broadcasters announce 300+ channel packs, Star highest at 72, TV18, Zee at 50

An analysis of over 300 channel packs and plans announced by prominent broadcasters like Star, Zee Entertainment, Sony, Sun TV and TV18 under new TRAI tariff rules reveals that Star has the highest number of such packs. The company, which has only 43 pay channels, has managed to create a whopping 72 packs and plans […]

D2h becomes first DTH to start moving users to TRAI plans

D2h, the DTH service from Dish TV, has become the first DTH provider in India to start moving subscribers to the new channel packs and plans under the TRAI Tariff Order of 2017. Many subscribers have started getting intimation that their plan has been changed in accordance with TRAI’s new rules. Customers can also accelerate […]

TRAI says no more postponement, urges consumers to move to new channel packs without delay

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, the agency that oversees the telecom and media sector in India, today refuted rumors that the implementation of the tariff order has been postponed beyond February 1 and asked consumers to move to the new plans without leaving it for the last moment. The clarification came in the wake of […]

TRAI List: Tata Sky leads with 92 HD Channels; Airtel Digital, Sun Direct edge out Dish & D2h

India’s major DTH broadcasters have declared their channel lists and prices under TRAI’s new tariff rules, and an analysis of the same reveals that Tata Sky continues to be undisputed king of HD Channels in India, followed closely by Airtel Digital and Sun Direct. Dish TV and D2h, meanwhile, have slightly less comprehensive lists of […]

TRAI RULES: Sony launches new, cheaper channel packs under Happy India

Sony Pictures India has become the fourth broadcaster to revamp its channel packages under new TRAI rules, responding to market conditions. Broadcasters like Zee, Times Network and TV18 had earlier tweaked their channel prices to make them more affordable and accessible to users. With Sony also tweaking its packages, Star India remains as the only […]

Tata Sky, Airtel Digital could benefit from new TRAI rules on channel packs

The curious case of the missing Star India channel packs on DTH platforms like D2h and Sun Direct has pointed to the position of relative strength enjoyed by platforms like Tata Sky and Airtel Digital in the new TRAI regime. Under the new rules, distribution platforms like Tata Sky, Dish TV and Sun Direct are […]

Sun Direct lists new channel packs under TRAI rules, Star plans missing

Sun Direct has become the third DTH service to announce its list of supported channel packs and their prices. As expected none of Star’s channel packs are available on the platform. With this, only Airtel Digital and Tata Sky remain to reveal their channel packs and pricing under the new TRAI rules. As for Sun […]

TRAI Rules: D2h announces list of channel packs; Star missing

A day after publishing individual channel prices, D2h, formerly known as Videocon D2h, has published its list of supported broadcaster packages. What is most remarkable about the list of over 100 packs is that none of them are from Star India. Other networks, such as Times, Discovery, Sun TV and Zee are very well represented […]

Airtel Digital DTH reveals new channel prices under TRAI rule

Airtel Digital has become the latest DTH operator to update its channel prices according to the new TRAI rules. With this, practically all DTH and bigger cable companies except two have come out with new plans and prices to comply with TRAI’s tariff order issued in July this year. Even as Airtel Digital updated the […]

Dish TV reveals new packs and channel prices under TRAI rules

Dish TV, India’s largest pay TV platform, today unveiled the list of channels, packs and prices available on its platform under the new TRAI rules. Like other competitors, the company has largely stuck to the prices and packs announced by broadcasters like Star India and Zee Entertainment, and does not offer much by way of […]

TRAI Tariff Rules: Operators publish list of Free FTA channels in India

With the deadline for cable and DTH players to publish their channel packs and prices only a few hours away, operators have published lists of free channels as well as pay channels available on their platforms. Free channels, also called FTA or Free-to-Air, are the ones that any DTH or cable subscriber can activate without […]