Box effect: Hyderabad TVs knocked out

[M.J.Sadiq]

Hyderabad: It was ‘darkness at noon’ of a different kind in nearly 9 lakh homes in the twin cities, as TV screens went blank on Monday, when the new era of mandatory set-top boxes began.

According to official figures, there are 19.63 lakh cable connections in Hyderabad, though unofficial estimates put the figure at 32 lakh. Of these, 3.06 lakh are covered by DTH services.

Of the remaining 16.57 lakh connections, operators have installed set-top boxes for 7.6 lakh, leaving 8.97 la-kh households in the lurch. If undisclosed connections are taken into account, over 20 lakh households in the city and GHMC limits faced a TV blackout on Monday.

Anxious viewers who called local cable operators to enquire about the issue were told to install STBs immediately if they wanted to watch TV.

Local operators had been assuring viewers of the possible extension of the deadline beyond March 31 in the wake of Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy writing a letter to the Centre for the purpose.

Multiple System Operat-ors had in turn assured cable operators that signals will be not be stopped immediately to households without STBs, and would be done in a phased manner by blocking a few popular channels at a time to force consumers to install STBs.

However, all the assurances went for a toss with the blackout of TV services in many areas from 7 am.

Areas that fall under the limits of Ranga Reddy and Medak districts such as Uppal, Patancheru, Ramac-handrapuram, Serilingam-pally also faced the blackout though the STB rule is confined to Hyderabad city.

Mixed reactions to TV blackout

Hyderabad: TV screens went blank in the Legislative Assembly premises also on Monday, catching political leaders by surprise. Same was the case in Secretariat, with TV sets going blank in chambers of several ministers and their aides and secretaries of various departments. News channels run continuously in these chambers.

“It is tough to imagine life without TV. I have the habit of watching news channels in the morning, said P. Sairam, a government employee who stays at Barkatpura. “I tried to install a STB but could not find one in the market.”

There are several others who missed watching devotional channels in the morning, especially senior citizens and women.

“Many channels telecast devotional programmes in the morning. I watch them every day. I also watch yoga shows. I missed all these today,” said K. Madhurima, a homemaker from Tarnaka.

For families with children preparing for exams, the TV blackout came as a blessing in disguise.

“We have been trying to disconnect the cable connection in the exam season. But we could not do so as our children insist on watching TV for some time every day,” said M. Anand Rao, a parent from Masab Tank.

There is a severe shortage of STBs and cable TV operators are citing this reason to demand extension of the deadline by six months.

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