CHENNAI: The State Government will provide one more chance for Local Cable Operators (LCOs) to get registered with Arasu Cable TV Corporation (ACTVC) to obtain digital feeds, and Multi-System Operators (MSOs) can also make use of this opportunity, said Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi here on Tuesday.
Inaugurating ACTVC’s Thanjavur digital control room through video conferencing, Mr. Karunanidhi said it would provide digital feeds to registered LCOs without bias. For others, one more chance would be given very soon. However, digital feeds would be given only to those who would abide by the rules and regulations of the Corporation.
“It is a new scheme that has not been introduced in any other State,” Mr. Karunanidhi said. ACTVC was started with the intention of providing quality service to the public at an affordable cost and not to increase the State’s revenue.
Since it was not possible to provide all the 300 pay channels, ACTVC had discussions with the broadcasters to relay around 70-80 prime channels. “While some of them have agreed to provide feeds, others have not yet given their consent. To get the feeds, we will proceed against them legally,” he said.
Having rolled out its services in Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Tiruchi, Nagapattinam, Perambalur and Ariyalur, ACTVC will charge Rs. 100 per connection for relaying 60 channels.
However, the rates in Chennai might be more as it falls under the Conditional Access System.
Explaining the rationale for charging Rs.100 per connection, Mr. Karunanidhi said as per Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s directive ACTVC would collect Rs.77 for free-to-air channels and the balance for a few pay channels.
Currently, for the same 60 channels, the users were being charged between Rs.150 and Rs.300 by the LCOs, he pointed out.
“In Chennai, the users can get the services by paying Rs. 100 per connection or go in for set top boxes for which the rates are different. In any case, ACTVC will not charge more money from the public,” he said.
Information Technology Secretary C. Chandramouli said that it costs Rs.5.54 crore to set up a digital control room. Thomson had been given the mandate to set up digital rooms in Thanjavur, Coimbatore and Tirunelveli. Tandberg would set up the digital control room in Vellore.
Chief Secretary L.K. Tripathy and ACTVC chairman and managing director Brijeshwar Singh spoke.
The District Collectors of Thanjavur, Tiruchi, Nagapattinam and Tiruvarur spoke to the Chief Minister from the Thanjavur control room through video conferencing.
The Hindu : Front Page : Arasu Cable TV operations launched
Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on Tuesday launched the Tamilnadu Arasu Cable Corporation in four Southern districts (Thanjavur, Tiruchirapalli, Thiruvarur and Nagapattinam) through video conferencing facility.
However, the cable TV services kicked off without the Sun TV bouquet of channels.
. Sources say that the Sun Channels would be beamed in a couple of days time. The channels are off due to some technical issues, sources added.
The new government-backed cable corporation has confused the public more than give them any clarity at a time when the Marans (the hitherto behemoths in cable distribution) and M K Azhagiri (the wannabe giant).
Many cable operators in the districts of Trichy and Thanjavur also allege that they have been kept in the dark on various issues including the monthly rentals and service tax.
But from the government side, the effort was to convey a mood of bonhomie.
‘The corporation has been formed to help people, who had been paying monthly charges ranging from Rs 150 to Rs 300 per month.
As the government got a lot of complaints about being charged excessively, it decided to start the corporation’, Karunanidhi said.
He also added that those channels which were not ready to part with their feeds would be severely dealt with.
Control rooms have been set up at Thanjavur, Tirunelveli, Coimbatore and Vellore. They would provide signals to the cable operators.
Several cable TV operators thronged the District Collectorate office in Thanjavur for the launch.
However they were denied entry as the inauguration was done within a closed door with Collectors from Thanjavur, Nagappatinam, Thiruvarur and Thiruchirapalli participating.
According to a cable operator in Tiruchirapalli , ‘Sun TV is missing from the bouquet of channels. No explanation has been given as yet. We are flooded with calls from customers’.
The officials in the Arasu Cable Corporation have expressed confidence that Sun TV will be made available within the next couple of days’.
If the Sun TV is not telecast by the corporation, it would result in unhealthy competition and situation would go from bad to worse, he added.
Among the 55 channels offered to the customers by the corporation, a majority of them are free-to-air channels.
A section of operators accuse the new Corporation of not providing them details on revenue sharing between them and the corporation and also on service tax.
‘We have urged the government to provide us Rs 70 per connection. However they are still tight-lipped’, cable TV operators said.
News Today - An English evening daily published from Chennai
Anyone has the list of channels?
Inaugurating ACTVC’s Thanjavur digital control room through video conferencing, Mr. Karunanidhi said it would provide digital feeds to registered LCOs without bias. For others, one more chance would be given very soon. However, digital feeds would be given only to those who would abide by the rules and regulations of the Corporation.
“It is a new scheme that has not been introduced in any other State,” Mr. Karunanidhi said. ACTVC was started with the intention of providing quality service to the public at an affordable cost and not to increase the State’s revenue.
Since it was not possible to provide all the 300 pay channels, ACTVC had discussions with the broadcasters to relay around 70-80 prime channels. “While some of them have agreed to provide feeds, others have not yet given their consent. To get the feeds, we will proceed against them legally,” he said.
Having rolled out its services in Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Tiruchi, Nagapattinam, Perambalur and Ariyalur, ACTVC will charge Rs. 100 per connection for relaying 60 channels.
However, the rates in Chennai might be more as it falls under the Conditional Access System.
Explaining the rationale for charging Rs.100 per connection, Mr. Karunanidhi said as per Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s directive ACTVC would collect Rs.77 for free-to-air channels and the balance for a few pay channels.
Currently, for the same 60 channels, the users were being charged between Rs.150 and Rs.300 by the LCOs, he pointed out.
“In Chennai, the users can get the services by paying Rs. 100 per connection or go in for set top boxes for which the rates are different. In any case, ACTVC will not charge more money from the public,” he said.
Information Technology Secretary C. Chandramouli said that it costs Rs.5.54 crore to set up a digital control room. Thomson had been given the mandate to set up digital rooms in Thanjavur, Coimbatore and Tirunelveli. Tandberg would set up the digital control room in Vellore.
Chief Secretary L.K. Tripathy and ACTVC chairman and managing director Brijeshwar Singh spoke.
The District Collectors of Thanjavur, Tiruchi, Nagapattinam and Tiruvarur spoke to the Chief Minister from the Thanjavur control room through video conferencing.
The Hindu : Front Page : Arasu Cable TV operations launched
Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on Tuesday launched the Tamilnadu Arasu Cable Corporation in four Southern districts (Thanjavur, Tiruchirapalli, Thiruvarur and Nagapattinam) through video conferencing facility.
However, the cable TV services kicked off without the Sun TV bouquet of channels.
. Sources say that the Sun Channels would be beamed in a couple of days time. The channels are off due to some technical issues, sources added.
The new government-backed cable corporation has confused the public more than give them any clarity at a time when the Marans (the hitherto behemoths in cable distribution) and M K Azhagiri (the wannabe giant).
Many cable operators in the districts of Trichy and Thanjavur also allege that they have been kept in the dark on various issues including the monthly rentals and service tax.
But from the government side, the effort was to convey a mood of bonhomie.
‘The corporation has been formed to help people, who had been paying monthly charges ranging from Rs 150 to Rs 300 per month.
As the government got a lot of complaints about being charged excessively, it decided to start the corporation’, Karunanidhi said.
He also added that those channels which were not ready to part with their feeds would be severely dealt with.
Control rooms have been set up at Thanjavur, Tirunelveli, Coimbatore and Vellore. They would provide signals to the cable operators.
Several cable TV operators thronged the District Collectorate office in Thanjavur for the launch.
However they were denied entry as the inauguration was done within a closed door with Collectors from Thanjavur, Nagappatinam, Thiruvarur and Thiruchirapalli participating.
According to a cable operator in Tiruchirapalli , ‘Sun TV is missing from the bouquet of channels. No explanation has been given as yet. We are flooded with calls from customers’.
The officials in the Arasu Cable Corporation have expressed confidence that Sun TV will be made available within the next couple of days’.
If the Sun TV is not telecast by the corporation, it would result in unhealthy competition and situation would go from bad to worse, he added.
Among the 55 channels offered to the customers by the corporation, a majority of them are free-to-air channels.
A section of operators accuse the new Corporation of not providing them details on revenue sharing between them and the corporation and also on service tax.
‘We have urged the government to provide us Rs 70 per connection. However they are still tight-lipped’, cable TV operators said.
News Today - An English evening daily published from Chennai
Anyone has the list of channels?
