TRAI’s latest tariff order to jeopardise content creation, hit growth: Broadcasters
PTI, Jan 10, 2020, 2:40 PM IST
Mumbai: Television broadcasters on Friday united against regulator Trai’s recent order capping prices for channels, saying it will “jeopardise” content creation, impact jobs and pull down economic growth.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had last month revisited its tariff order to soften the prices for end consumers through interventions, including reducing the maximum price one has to pay for a channel to Rs 12 from the previous Rs 19.
The broadcasters got together under the aegis of the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) to oppose the move in a rare press conference here which had top executives from all the leading networks speaking out.
The grouping’s president and head of Sony Entertainment, N P Singh said there was no need for the new order and the regulator should have had ideally given time for things to settle down after last year’s tariff order.
He claimed the broadcasters, who garner only a fourth of the payments made by end consumers with a bulk 65 per cent going to distributors, had supported the last order despite reservations and invested over Rs 1,000 crore to educate the people on it.
After last year’s order, he said the industry had lost over 12 million subscribers.
Star TV’s Uday Shankar termed the new order as “ludicrous” and said the industry will use all its “constitutional rights” to challenge the order in seeking a rethink.
TV Today’s Aroon Purie said the new order will “strangulate” the industry and added that it is an important sector which the government should encourage and not suppress.
Discovery Networks’ Megha Tata said India is already the cheapest cable market in the world and the future of the sector will be in jeopardy through such regulatory interventions.
Singh said the broadcasters seek a stable regulatory regime and interventions like these are contrary to the Narendra Modi government’s promise to ensure ease of doing business for enterprises.
He said pricing should be left to the market forces and not driven down through regulatory fiats and was unsure if the prices will indeed go down with the TRAI order.
Udayavani is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest news.
Top News
Related Articles More
Baku climate talks: The ‘X’ factor that could determine future of Global South
Kidnapped for ransom in 1998, 26/11 survivor Gautam Adani faces biggest trial
Gautam Adani charged in US with USD 250 mn bribery, fraud
India’s GDP growth likely to slip at 6.5 pc, maintains 7 pc estimate for FY25: Icra
RBI cautions public about ‘deepfake’ video of governor being circulated on social media
MUST WATCH
Latest Additions
Delhi LG praises CM Atishi, calls her ‘thousand times better than her predecessor’
Centre releases 15th Finance Commission grant for rural local bodies in Karnataka
Kharge confident of Cong and allies coming to power in Maharashtra, Jharkhand
‘Nation First’ key to India’s progress, says President Murmu
Karnataka BJP chief Vijayendra slams Cong govt over Waqf notices to farmers, fund crunch
Thanks for visiting Udayavani
You seem to have an Ad Blocker on.
To continue reading, please turn it off or whitelist Udayavani.