India’s number 1 lifestyle channel FYI TV18 has shutdown earlier today, in line with the announcement made by Indiacast Media back in June. The exit of FYI TV18 from Indian market now leaves History TV18 as the only offering from AETN18 stable.
AETN18 run FYI TV18 and FYI TV18 HD have ceased operations with DTH operators starting the removal of the channel immediately. Tata Sky, Airtel Digital TV, Dish TV, and D2h dropped the channel yesterday itself while the channel has now ceased transmission with Sun Direct and JioTV showing color bar.
FYI TV18 is the third channel to shutdown in the last fortnight with AXN and Delhi Aaj Tak shutting shop on 30th June as intimated by the respective broadcasters earlier. The shut down of FYI TV18 and FYI TV18 HD have reduced AETN18 offerings in India to 2 from the earlier 4 offerings.
The shutdowns are expected to lead to a revision in the existing bouquet pricing of Indiacast Media. Indiacast Media in an intimation to DPOs said, “If a DPO has subscribed to any bouquet(s) (under its current / prevailing interconnection agreement with TV18, through IndiaCast) which comprises of AETN Channel(s) (i.e., ‘FYI TV18’ and/or ‘FYI TV18 HD’) but does not comprise of Viacom18 Channel (i.e., ‘Rishtey Cineplex’), then effective 8 July 2020, the MRP of such bouquet(s) shall be reduced by such percentage as shall be equivalent to the percentage of a-la-carte MRP of the removed AETN Channel(s) to the sum total of the a-la carte MRP of all channels originally forming part of such bouquet(s).”
The revision however will be negligible owing to the cheap a-la-carte rates of FYI TV18 at Rs 0.25 and FYI TV18 HD at Rs 1. Finer details of the revision to existing 97 Colors Wala bouquets are awaited at this point of time. Unlike the AXN shutdown case wherein Tata Sky and Dish TV updated the broadcaster bouquet prices the same day of shutdown, this time around there is no update on the revision of the Indiacast bouquet pricing.
