Breaking Cable Operators signed new NTO RIO after few days of standoff

[Aksgr]

But MSO/Cable TV operators r putting in efforts to protects interests of customers and u ditched them right in the beginning itself . You should have waited for a few days, maybe under pressure broadcasters could reduce channel pricing which would benefit all

Jio is offering discounted internet and cable like service. Why wait

 

[DreamDTH]

Major broadcasters had sent notices to cable operators, requesting them to sign the Reference Interconnect Offer (RIO) for the New Tariff Order (NTO) 2.0.

Cable TV customers lose most of channels as AIDCF members refuse to sign new NTO 2.0 RIO

 

[Ashok Varma]

As from customer view point if the viewer isn't getting to view the favourite channel, then why would he continue with that cable operator?
Either he will shift to some other DTH or will shift to OTT. So ultimately Cable is gonna loose more subscribers.

DTH operators should drop broadcaster boutiques and offer pay channels on a la carte basis on its platforms for further pressure on broadcasters

 

[A B]

Is there any stoppage in Siti Digital also ?
Please reply as soon as possible.

 

[satyajeet]

Buddy, TRAI cannot be termed lame duck...They have stood by the regulations despite all the opposition from broadcasters which wanted many changes to it and as per my understanding wanted Pre NTO type of set up to be brought back which in my opinion was not at all good interms of giving choice to customers or providing fair / equal ground for all operators.

Previous chairman of TRAI Shri RS Sharma infact was even more stringent, decisive & upfront about bringing into effect original NTO 2.0 regulations which were even more beneficial for all stakeholders but broadcasters did not agree to implement the same & confronted TRAI on the same through legal route. Had those rules come into play then all issues would have been resolved. Still under leadership of new chairman TRAI has consulted with stakeholders & come up with new amended regulations which r somewhat good and similar to NTO 1.0 regulations but again we can see now Cable TV operators are objecting/against the price increase done by broadcasters.

I think now TRAI should again try to find a middle ground without further diluting NTO regulations or broadcasters themselves should reduce prices which would the appropriate corrective measure. Already prices were increased when NTO 1.0 was implemented but that time operators accepted the same but customers felt the pinch & cord cutting gained momentum thus now Cable TV operators r not ready to accept further increase in price bcoz Cable TV still reaches major part of the population demographic which is extremely price sensitive. Also Cable TV operators should improve service quality and other parameters to compete well with DTH operators in the future as this would also help them gain in the subscriber base which has more purchasing power & willing to spend more for good quality service....this inturn would help increase ARPU which is essential to earn good revenue

Let me reply that how TRAI buckled everytime.

NTO 1.0 -
After madras HC struck down 20% discount cap,
SC upheld 20% discount cap rule.
Still trai didn't implement discount cap just to save few months time.
After SC verdict, trai should have given time to implement discount cap. But trai hurriedly implemented nto without any cap.
This allowed broadcasters to taste blood(deep money).

Nto2.0- it was never struck down by any court. Trai themselves buckled down and again went for consultation. This resulted in nto 3.0 which is not being implemented now.
So nto1 to nto3 , it has been downhill trend only.

Since broadcasters are not confident about their product, they try to milk subscription revenue even at cost of ad revenue.
Now only solution is remove all broadcasters bouquets and all channels be put under a la carte.
Since broadcasters are not going to mend their ways, so its better if they go broke.


Objective of digitisation and nto was to bring down cost, prices and increase transparency.
But result is high cost, prices and more money in hands of broadcasters. This is cost we paid for transparent regime.

 

[dino29]

Let me reply that how TRAI buckled everytime.

NTO 1.0 -
After madras HC struck down 20% discount cap,
SC upheld 20% discount cap rule.
Still trai didn't implement discount cap just to save few months time.
After SC verdict, trai should have given time to implement discount cap. But trai hurriedly implemented nto without any cap.
This allowed broadcasters to taste blood(deep money).

Nto2.0- it was never struck down by any court. Trai themselves buckled down and again went for consultation. This resulted in nto 3.0 which is not being implemented now.
So nto1 to nto3 , it has been downhill trend only.

Since broadcasters are not confident about their product, they try to milk subscription revenue even at cost of ad revenue.
Now only solution is remove all broadcasters bouquets and all channels be put under a la carte.
Since broadcasters are not going to mend their ways, so its better if they go broke.


Objective of digitisation and nto was to bring down cost, prices and increase transparency.
But result is high cost, prices and more money in hands of broadcasters. This is cost we paid for transparent regime.

Regarding discount cap there was a 33% discount cap rule which has now been increased to 45% in amended NTO 2.0 regulations. TRAI could have been more strict in getting this implemented but gave broadcasters somewhat free hand so that there r no further delays caused which would cause inconvenience to customers as well as operators.

Regarding there being no stay on NTO 2.0 , yes that is right and which is why TRAI did implement the same....as broadcasters went to court still earlier chairman held onto the original NTO 2.0 regulations and few times even reminders were sent to broadcasters to comply / adhere to new rules and come out with New Revised RIO. If you remember when case was in Bombay High Court, all parties were told to maintain status quo till final verdict is out hence NTO 1.0 RIO continued. In beginning of 2021 Disney-Star came up with New RIO which was non compliant with NTO 2.0 regulations hence TRAI did not let that be implemented. Also after August 2021 TRAI gave deadline to broadcasters to come up with NTO 2.0 compliant RIO and broadcasters came with NTO 2.0 RIO which had extremely high prices of standalone channels and even bouquet prices were increased and operators again sought TRAI intervention on it. Finally term of TRAI Chairman Shri RS Sharma came to end and New Chairman took over the responsibility and consultation process was started which resulted in amended NTO 2.0 regulations coming into effect which again r not acceptable to Cable TV operators.

So it has been tough journey with lots of ups and downs, not been easy for TRAI to make broadcasters and operators arrive at middle ground alongwith keeping interests of consumers paramount.

Broadcasters should reduce prices and that is the only solution, if they jave good content people will opt for the concerned channels. Leave it upto customers/viewers to opt for channels through bouquet or a-la-carte mode. Bouquet discount should be capped at max 30% else if standalone prices r kept high and bouquet r highly discounted then in a way viewers have no choice but to opt for bouquets to keep the monthly bill on lower side.


As i have stated for a long time NTO regulations r excellent but broadcasters need to adopt it in right spirit. Increasing prices will not lead to rise in subscription revenue rather Pay TV viewer base will keep on depleting thus benefiting neither broadcasters nor operators and even the viewers. Good content should be aired on channels and provided at affordable monthly subscription prices (bouquet as well as standalone pricing). With strong emergence of OTT, DD Free Dish and cheaper internet as well as increase in internet penetration aiding rise of Free content platforms like YouTube anyways will cause churn in Pay TV subscriber base, if broadcasters work on bringing good curated content at affordable pricing then still Pay TV subscriber base can grow as still Pay TV Channels is a convenient, more accessible and less costly way to consume variety of content. Even niche channels can do well if correct strategy is adopted and they cater to emerging as well as regular audience of such content

 

[Kepee Ismail]

Actually Trainew rule is lose to subscribers. Providers launching new packs in which enjoyed channels are out and price is increased.

 

[satyajeet]

Few corrections

Regarding discount cap there was a 33% discount cap rule which has now been increased to 45% in amended NTO 2.0 regulations.

NTO1.0 has 20% discount cap(but not implemented by TRAI)
NTO2.0 had 33% discount cap(not implemented by TRAI)
NTO3.0(some call this amended 2.0)- 45% discount implemented. We can conclude that broadcasters are getting things implemented in their favour.

If you remember when case was in Bombay High Court, all parties were told to maintain status quo till final verdict is out hence NTO 1.0 RIO continued.

After verdict also, NTO2.0 was not implemented. Trai chairman change can't be an excuse. Regulatory body should not be person dependent.

 

[dino29]

Jio is offering discounted internet and cable like service. Why wait

Buddy one cannot compare Jio TV with regular cable or DTH service. Had that been the case then people would have switched from traditional to new age platforms for watching content long back. TV Channels still have lot of importance ad will continue to hold so.

Surely for ur personal viewing u have choice to switch but family households or those with limited income still have TV Channels / DTH / Cable TV as best option to consume content

 

[Ashok Varma]

Regarding discount cap there was a 33% discount cap rule which has now been increased to 45% in amended NTO 2.0 regulations. TRAI could have been more strict in getting this implemented but gave broadcasters somewhat free hand so that there r no further delays caused which would cause inconvenience to customers as well as operators.

Regarding there being no stay on NTO 2.0 , yes that is right and which is why TRAI did implement the same....as broadcasters went to court still earlier chairman held onto the original NTO 2.0 regulations and few times even reminders were sent to broadcasters to comply / adhere to new rules and come out with New Revised RIO. If you remember when case was in Bombay High Court, all parties were told to maintain status quo till final verdict is out hence NTO 1.0 RIO continued. In beginning of 2021 Disney-Star came up with New RIO which was non compliant with NTO 2.0 regulations hence TRAI did not let that be implemented. Also after August 2021 TRAI gave deadline to broadcasters to come up with NTO 2.0 compliant RIO and broadcasters came with NTO 2.0 RIO which had extremely high prices of standalone channels and even bouquet prices were increased and operators again sought TRAI intervention on it. Finally term of TRAI Chairman Shri RS Sharma came to end and New Chairman took over the responsibility and consultation process was started which resulted in amended NTO 2.0 regulations coming into effect which again r not acceptable to Cable TV operators.

So it has been tough journey with lots of ups and downs, not been easy for TRAI to make broadcasters and operators arrive at middle ground alongwith keeping interests of consumers paramount.

Broadcasters should reduce prices and that is the only solution, if they jave good content people will opt for the concerned channels. Leave it upto customers/viewers to opt for channels through bouquet or a-la-carte mode. Bouquet discount should be capped at max 30% else if standalone prices r kept high and bouquet r highly discounted then in a way viewers have no choice but to opt for bouquets to keep the monthly bill on lower side.


As i have stated for a long time NTO regulations r excellent but broadcasters need to adopt it in right spirit. Increasing prices will not lead to rise in subscription revenue rather Pay TV viewer base will keep on depleting thus benefiting neither broadcasters nor operators and even the viewers. Good content should be aired on channels and provided at affordable monthly subscription prices (bouquet as well as standalone pricing). With strong emergence of OTT, DD Free Dish and cheaper internet as well as increase in internet penetration aiding rise of Free content platforms like YouTube anyways will cause churn in Pay TV subscriber base, if broadcasters work on bringing good curated content at affordable pricing then still Pay TV subscriber base can grow as still Pay TV Channels is a convenient, more accessible and less costly way to consume variety of content. Even niche channels can do well if correct strategy is adopted and they cater to emerging as well as regular audience of such content

Pay tv content is not upto mark compare to YouTube content as elders are now YouTubers than Soap watchers