shawl_who
Contributor
- Joined
- 7 Nov 2012
- Messages
- 19,212
- Reaction score
- 18,261
HBO India has applied to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) for the transfer of licence from Turner International India to itself. The application is made for the three HBO channels—the ad-free HBO Hits and HBO Defined, and the basic HBO channel. The licences currently reside with Turner. “HBO has applied for the licence to be transferred from Turner. The government approval is yet to come,” said a source familiar with the development.
With the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) coming out with a regulation that dilutes the power of the content aggregators, HBO, however, may decide not to go ahead with the proposal. When HBO applied, the regulatory guidelines for content aggregators were not announced. Fears are that if HBO decides to move the licence from Turner, then it may not be allowed to bundle its channels with the Turner bouquet.
Under the TRAI regulation, channels from more than one broadcaster are barred from forming bouquets. “The content aggregator regulation has put everything in a situation of flux. Broadcasters are weighing all options and decisions will be taken only after formulating a clear idea on the regulation,” the source said.
Turner currently distributes the HBO channels. It also handles ad sales of HBO in India. Media Pro Enterprise India, which distributes the Star, Zee and Turner group of channels, is an equal joint venture company between Zee Turner and Star Den. Meanwhile, in December 2013, HBO India had got the approval of the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB). HBO Asia, the parent company of HBO India, had entered into an agreement with Eros International in late 2012 to launch two premium ad-free movie channels, HBO Defined and HBO Hits, in India.
HBO applies to MIB for licence transfer from Turner | TelevisionPost.com
With the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) coming out with a regulation that dilutes the power of the content aggregators, HBO, however, may decide not to go ahead with the proposal. When HBO applied, the regulatory guidelines for content aggregators were not announced. Fears are that if HBO decides to move the licence from Turner, then it may not be allowed to bundle its channels with the Turner bouquet.
Under the TRAI regulation, channels from more than one broadcaster are barred from forming bouquets. “The content aggregator regulation has put everything in a situation of flux. Broadcasters are weighing all options and decisions will be taken only after formulating a clear idea on the regulation,” the source said.
Turner currently distributes the HBO channels. It also handles ad sales of HBO in India. Media Pro Enterprise India, which distributes the Star, Zee and Turner group of channels, is an equal joint venture company between Zee Turner and Star Den. Meanwhile, in December 2013, HBO India had got the approval of the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB). HBO Asia, the parent company of HBO India, had entered into an agreement with Eros International in late 2012 to launch two premium ad-free movie channels, HBO Defined and HBO Hits, in India.
HBO applies to MIB for licence transfer from Turner | TelevisionPost.com
