There ought to ideally be “complete forbearance” in regulating broadcast tariffs, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) chairperson P. D. Vaghela stated on May 3. However, Dr. Vaghela added, there have been “diverging interests” amongst completely different gamers within the trade, with broadcasters and satellite tv for pc TV operators asking for forbearance, and native cable operators (LCOs) and multi-system operators (MSOs) demanding laws on subscription costs they’re charged by channels.
“Whether we like it or not, LCOs have a problem, and they have to be protected,” Dr. Vaghela stated, referring to cable operators shedding subscribers. “This is a transition phase, where we have to take care of them.” Dr. Vaghela was talking on the FICCI Frames 2023 media and leisure trade occasion in Mumbai, with Tata Play CEO Harit Nagpal. Tata Play final month complained in a letter to TRAI about falling broadband costs with free live-streamed channels affecting the satellite tv for pc TV and cable enterprise.
Relax laws
“Should regulation and levies be dependent on technology used instead of product being delivered,” Mr. Nagpal requested, alluding to a rising concern among the many tv distribution trade that low-cost broadband and free live-streamed channels at residence are undercutting them with out dealing with the identical regulatory scrutiny.
“We should be clear: should we go for regulation for the new players,” Dr. Vaghela requested. “I would scoff at the idea. I would not like to see that new players are regulated. Present players can be given some sort of relief,” he instructed. Dr. Vaghela stated that relaxations for broadcasters was important, and {that a} session would quickly come out on the topic of considerations confronted by LCOs and MSOs.
