Cable wars in TN: Operators to give channels for Rs 50
Madurai: Challenging the Sun TV's offering of Direct-to-Home service for monthly Rs 75, the cable operators in Tamil Nadu said they could offer the same for Rs 50 if Sun's Multi-System Operator provided the free channels.
The Cable Operators Guild, at a press conference in Madurai, said they could offer up to 50 channels and all the free channels for just Rs 50, even if they did not receive the Sun network channels, guild president, A Pandi said.
He alleged that Sun's MSO Sumangali Cable Vision (SCV), has "crushed" the small cable operators, by exploiting them and charging them heavily even for the channels the customers did not want to view.
"Now, they (Sun TV) have come out with the offer because the Government was forming a cable corporation".
The SCV also was collecting money from the TV networks even for telecasting some of the free channels.
"They got money from the cable operators and also from the new channels for popularising it, whether it was ESPN or Jayaplus or Raj Music".
He wondered why the SCV was not showing Asianet, Kairali, Jaya Plus, Raj digital and Raj Music.
"The SCV was blacking out so many channels. When they blacked out they did not advise anyone to complain to the TRAI, now they were asking to complain to the TRAI if the MSO did not show Sun channels. Is it fair?", he asked.
The SCV which has been charging Rs 210 per connection from the cable operators, was now offering the same at Rs 75, he said.
The Cable TV operators would provide their services from Monday through another MSO in this city which had started operation in South Madurai from this noon.
The COG also planned to start their own MSO in different parts of the state, charging different rates depending on the area they offered their service.
"Similar to the fact that the same type of house situated in different areas would not fetch the same rent, we have to charge according to the ability of the customers in different areas", he said.
The Sun TV's DTH offer was only a "ploy to lure the customers", it would not be possible to continue with the same rates for long.
He also recalled that the Sun group-owned Dinakaran paper was offered for Re 1 initially, now they have increased the rate to Rs 2. They would do the same with the DTH.
The Sun DTH could offer only free channels for Rs 75, they said adding Doordarshan was offering the same for free already. Charging that the channel never followed TRAI regulations, they said they have decided to hold a dharna against Sun TV in the city on Monday.
so another dharna tomorrow :hysterical:
Madurai: Challenging the Sun TV's offering of Direct-to-Home service for monthly Rs 75, the cable operators in Tamil Nadu said they could offer the same for Rs 50 if Sun's Multi-System Operator provided the free channels.
The Cable Operators Guild, at a press conference in Madurai, said they could offer up to 50 channels and all the free channels for just Rs 50, even if they did not receive the Sun network channels, guild president, A Pandi said.
He alleged that Sun's MSO Sumangali Cable Vision (SCV), has "crushed" the small cable operators, by exploiting them and charging them heavily even for the channels the customers did not want to view.
"Now, they (Sun TV) have come out with the offer because the Government was forming a cable corporation".
The SCV also was collecting money from the TV networks even for telecasting some of the free channels.
"They got money from the cable operators and also from the new channels for popularising it, whether it was ESPN or Jayaplus or Raj Music".
He wondered why the SCV was not showing Asianet, Kairali, Jaya Plus, Raj digital and Raj Music.
"The SCV was blacking out so many channels. When they blacked out they did not advise anyone to complain to the TRAI, now they were asking to complain to the TRAI if the MSO did not show Sun channels. Is it fair?", he asked.
The SCV which has been charging Rs 210 per connection from the cable operators, was now offering the same at Rs 75, he said.
The Cable TV operators would provide their services from Monday through another MSO in this city which had started operation in South Madurai from this noon.
The COG also planned to start their own MSO in different parts of the state, charging different rates depending on the area they offered their service.
"Similar to the fact that the same type of house situated in different areas would not fetch the same rent, we have to charge according to the ability of the customers in different areas", he said.
The Sun TV's DTH offer was only a "ploy to lure the customers", it would not be possible to continue with the same rates for long.
He also recalled that the Sun group-owned Dinakaran paper was offered for Re 1 initially, now they have increased the rate to Rs 2. They would do the same with the DTH.
The Sun DTH could offer only free channels for Rs 75, they said adding Doordarshan was offering the same for free already. Charging that the channel never followed TRAI regulations, they said they have decided to hold a dharna against Sun TV in the city on Monday.
so another dharna tomorrow :hysterical:
