No Paid Channels From 7 February For Subscribers Who Don’t Select New Tariff Plan, TRAI Tells DTH, Cable Operators

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has told distribution platform operators (DPO) to shift those customers to the new tariff guidelines, who have already provided their channel and bouquet preferences, Television Post reports.

Customers have been given time till 6 February to provide their choices and those who fail to do so will lose their pay channels from the next day, said TRAI.

Pay channels of customers who have failed in providing their channel and bouquet preferences will switch off from 7 February, the TRAI has said.

The process of shifting to the new system will begin from 1 February, and the TRAI believes that the operators, owing to technical requirements, will need a few days to initiate moving their customers to the new system.

All paid channels have already started running tickers which asks the customers to migrate to the new system.

TRAI, in a meeting with broadcasters and DPOs, decided against removing pay-channels from air for 15 days, beginning 31 January. However, the same will happen from 6 February, meaning that customers who have not provided the DPOs with their channel options, will only be receiving free to air (FTA) channels.

The regulator, on Monday (28 January) had a meeting with the broadcasters to assess the status and decided that Broadcasters Audience Research Council (BARC) India will need to keep releasing data regardless of the availability of pay channels.