TRAI Expects 90 Per Cent Of TV Viewers On Board New Tariff Regime By 1 February, The Deadline For Migration

The Telecom Regulatory Authority in India (TRAI) is expecting 90 per cent of the TV viewers to be on board with the 1 February deadline to shift to the latest tariff regime for cable and broadcasting services, Business Today reports, citing TRAI Chairman RS Sharma.

During an interview with PTI, Sharma said the trend recorded in the past few days had seen a sudden surge in customer engagement with the new tariff scheme. Indications from service providers showed that the 100 per cent mark will be hit soon.

TRAI released the new tariff system and regulatory control for the broadcasting and cable sector, paving the way for consumers to pay only for channels they want to watch. Further, the order says that every channel needs to be offered a la carte alongside a transparent display of channel rates on the programme guide.

Sharma said that despite the slow speed initially, the trend has picked up pace and feels that they will be able to cross the 90 per cent mark before 31 January. The rest 10 per cent cases may be of people who are travelling or are not present at home, Sharma added.

On 24 January, TRAI said that around 40 per cent of consumers had already opted to shift to the new system. The regulator has also ruled out extending the deadline.

TRAI, to ensure smooth implementation and creating of customer awareness, released various advertisements, YouTube clips and held regular meetings reviewing the progress of customer choice with broadcasters, Direct-to-home (DTH) operators and multi-system operators (MSO).