MIB notifies new DAS deadline, Phase 3 and 4 extended

[Thakur]

MUMBAI: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB)) has notified the new digital addressable system (DAS)deadline.

As per the new deadline, the Phase 3 of DAS has been pushedto December 2015 from 30 September 2014 while Phase 4 of DAS has been pushed to December 2016 from December 2014.

Earlier, I&B secretary Bimal Julkahad told TelevisionPost.com thatthe digitisation deadline has been put off by a year to December 2015 as a lot of groundwork needs to be done and various issues need to be resolved.

The deadline for PhaseIV would be extended to December 2016. http://www.televisionpost.com/cable/mib-notifies-new-das-deadline-phase-3-and-4-extended/

 

[Thakur]

The extension will help the cable fraternity to reorganise their finances and perhaps access
cheaper local sources for STBs. However, K Jayaraman, former head of the MSO Hathaway
and current president of Zee Entertainment Enterprises (ZEEL), warned that a delay in implementation of DAS will benefit

direct-to- home (DTH) players like
Tata Sky who have invested in STBs and have developed local
market packages.

The biggest losers from the extended DAS deadline will be the broadcasting networks and
TV channels, for whom the old analogue system of distribution will continue for the majority of TV homes.

The analogue system does not have accountability and it is
estimated that broadcasters recover only 20 per cent of the optimum subscription revenue
from these markets because of underreporting by cable distributors. http://www.businessworld.in/news/economy/i&b-ministry-notifies-extension-of-cable-networks’-digitisation-by-2-years/1536248/page-1.html