If you are a DTH or a cable TV user, expect a price hike in television packages from as soon as February 1.
Broadcasters have lost their legal tussle and agreed to implement the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s New Tariff Order 2.0.
As more people switch to online streaming services over the last two years, DTH players have been losing subscribers and now, rubbing salt in their wounds is this tariff revision.
DTH, Cable TV To Hike Prices; Tariff Rates To be Announced On 1 February
At the beginning of the following month, broadcasters will reveal their exact tariff plan, but DTH providers have already begun warning customers of the impending price increase.
As per a spokesperson of the company, “Tata Play will be complying with the New Tariff Order from February 1, 2023. The increase will be carried out in steps over a period of 4 to 6 weeks. Prices will increase only by 5-6 percent for most customers, after remaining the same for the last 4 years.”
Additionally, Airtel has begun notifying its DTH subscribers of revised tariffs.
The TRAI has called for the implementation of the following framework after receiving a lot of pushback from broadcasters regarding its television tariff policy: Channels with a maximum retail price of $19 or less will only be allowed to be included in a bouquet. If the channel costs more than $19, it will only be available à la carte.
Additionally, when pricing its bouquet of pay channels over the total cost of those channels, a broadcaster may offer a discount of up to 45%.
Airtel Digital TV Rate Increases By 17.7 Per Month
All television channel distributors must ensure that services are provided to subscribers beginning on February 1, 2023, according to the bouquets or channels they have chosen, according to a statement made by TRAI in its November notice.
The government has raised the DigitalTV tariff in accordance with its new guidelines. According to a notification given to a customer by Airtel Digital, the total rental for their Airtel DigitalTV has increased by 17.7/month due to the top-up channels they have subscribed to, effective as of January 31, 2022.
The TRAI has been informed about each broadcaster’s specific tariff plan. In light of TRAI’s refusal to raise the base price of channels in the bouquets from 19, it is currently being determined whether broadcasters will remove their premium channels from the DTH and cable bouquets.
