TRAI has finally laid down the rules for the new digitization of the Cable TV Operators which will not only bring cheaper solution when compared to other Digital TV Providers like Tata Sky, Reliance etc. This service will be mandatory from 1st of July 2012 in all the metropolitan cities with target of complete digitization of the country by 2014.
Basic Tier Package :
- Basic Package will contain 100 Channels (free to air) for which you need pay max of Rs 100.
- 18 Channels of this free tier will be Doordarshan Channels.
- If you are worried what kind of channels will be in those free to air, then TRAI has said, that basic tier should have 5 Channels from each of the genres like Sports, Kids, Movies etc.
How will you make your Package :
All the channels are available on stand alone basis which means you can pick individual channels and make up your package, which is both, for Free and Paid Channels.
You can choose what channels will be in your Basic Tier from all Free to Air Channels not exceeding 100 Channels.
If you choose pay channels with or without free to air channels, the operator can fix a minimum monthly subscription not exceeding Rs 150, but if you choose set of channels which cost more than 150, you will need to pay subscription charges on an individual basis.
If you choose a Package, Trai has regulated that sum of rates of individual channels should not be more than 1.5 times the rate of the package and any individual channel cannot cost more than three times the average rate of the package.
Conclusion :
As of now this is the only information we have and unless this thing goes live all over the major cities a very clear idea will not available but looking the points above there are few things to cherish about :
- Digitization will be a pleasure to view as you get better quality of picture and sound both.
- Since all the channels are available to be chosen individually, no operator can force you pay for channels you don’t watch.
- You are even free to choose what to see on your Free Package.