When it comes to the Smart TVs, they have changed a lot of things, especially in the Indian landscape and the magic is done by the free channels that are available through the apps play a major role in hooking people.
Indians May Loose Access To 150 Free Channels
Not only that, now a lot of users can just have a decent internet connection and they can get access to more than 150 channels from different genres.
But this won’t last for a long time as the free window for the same is possibly going to end soon reportedly.
Soon, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India is going to make a decision on whether the smart TV apps should follow the same rules as DTH or not, said Abhishek Yadav, popular tipster in a post.
They are expecting the final decision on the same on May 4, 2026, which could change the way millions of people watch TV.
Who Would Get Affected By This Decision?
Presently, more than 129 million people use SmarTVs and have access to watch 150+ channels for free as mentioned in Abhishek’s post.
In the absence of cable or DTH connection, these users just need the particular apps and watch TV without any hassle.
As we know that all the DTH and cable companies charge for channels and have packages under which these channels are provided, like the entertainment pack, kids pack, movies pack, sports pack, and a lot more.
It appears that the DTH companies pay crores to the government and even have to abide by a strict set of rules.
But, the case with smart TVs is pretty different as most of the millennials and Gen Z use it as a source to watch Netflix, Amazon, or other OTT apps. Besides them, there are a majority of users who use smart TV just to watch YouTube or connect their consoles.
So, this implies then a majority will still go unaffected even if TRAI brings a regulation to impose a fee on free channels.
This is applicable especially to those who have already subscribed to multiple applications, and don’t even know that free channels exist on their smart TV.
