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Cable operators rattled
Sunday August 12 2007 11:07 IST
CHENNAI: The State Government’s decision to enter the cable television distribution business has rattled existing cable operators in the state, since the government has, so far, remained silent about their future.
When the Jayalalithaa government tried to ‘nationalise’ the cable TV operations by taking over the MSOs, a clear undertaking was given that the livelihood of the existing 1.25 lakh cable operators would not be harmed.
However, the Karunanidhi government, whose decision was seen by most as an attempt to break the monopoly of the Maran family-owned Sun Network in the field, maintained a studied silence.
The Tamil Nadu Cable TV Owners Association (TNCTVA) had already appealed to the Chief Minister to protect thousands of operators, who had been involved in the business for more than a decade.
Expressing disappointment over the decision taken during the cabinet meeting on Saturday, Kayal RS Elavarasu, TNCTVA, told this website’s newspaper that there was no mention about the job security of the existing cable TV operators.
The TNCTVA members, who had planned a rally on September 12 to meet Karunanidhi to press their demands, were now planning to meet him sooner than later, since the government was speeding up the work of starting its own MSO.
Moreover, the TNCTVA had also mooted the idea of the cable operators forming a cooperative to start their own MSO. This seemed unlikely to take off now since the last mile operators would not be in a position to take on the might of the government.
The operators felt that they had been unfairly caught in the crossfire of what was essentially a battle for the airwaves between the Karunanidhi family and the Marans.
The Sun Network had not issued any communication with regard to the fate of the cable operation business and the direct-to-home (DTH) network either.
Meanwhile, speculation was rife over the Marans launching their DTH operations on September 15, the same day that Karunanidhi family’s Kalaignar TV was scheduled to be launched.
With the arrival of the Sun Network’s DTH, operators feared they would be dealt a double blow, since the DTH service, with its software-driven technology, eliminated the need for MSOs or link operators to provide connections and maintenance services.
‘‘Even technology has let us down. Now, our only hope is the Chief Minister,’’ said the cable operators.
Sunday August 12 2007 11:07 IST
CHENNAI: The State Government’s decision to enter the cable television distribution business has rattled existing cable operators in the state, since the government has, so far, remained silent about their future.
When the Jayalalithaa government tried to ‘nationalise’ the cable TV operations by taking over the MSOs, a clear undertaking was given that the livelihood of the existing 1.25 lakh cable operators would not be harmed.
However, the Karunanidhi government, whose decision was seen by most as an attempt to break the monopoly of the Maran family-owned Sun Network in the field, maintained a studied silence.
The Tamil Nadu Cable TV Owners Association (TNCTVA) had already appealed to the Chief Minister to protect thousands of operators, who had been involved in the business for more than a decade.
Expressing disappointment over the decision taken during the cabinet meeting on Saturday, Kayal RS Elavarasu, TNCTVA, told this website’s newspaper that there was no mention about the job security of the existing cable TV operators.
The TNCTVA members, who had planned a rally on September 12 to meet Karunanidhi to press their demands, were now planning to meet him sooner than later, since the government was speeding up the work of starting its own MSO.
Moreover, the TNCTVA had also mooted the idea of the cable operators forming a cooperative to start their own MSO. This seemed unlikely to take off now since the last mile operators would not be in a position to take on the might of the government.
The operators felt that they had been unfairly caught in the crossfire of what was essentially a battle for the airwaves between the Karunanidhi family and the Marans.
The Sun Network had not issued any communication with regard to the fate of the cable operation business and the direct-to-home (DTH) network either.
Meanwhile, speculation was rife over the Marans launching their DTH operations on September 15, the same day that Karunanidhi family’s Kalaignar TV was scheduled to be launched.
With the arrival of the Sun Network’s DTH, operators feared they would be dealt a double blow, since the DTH service, with its software-driven technology, eliminated the need for MSOs or link operators to provide connections and maintenance services.
‘‘Even technology has let us down. Now, our only hope is the Chief Minister,’’ said the cable operators.
