TataSky Users Can Face A Blackout Soon; DTH Firms Forcefully Activating Junk Packs
Except Tata Sky, every major DTH firm has updated their new packs and plans.
There is bad news for TataSky DTH users: Their televisions can go blank after January 31st. Why will this happen?
Meanwhile, complaints are coming in, that DTH firms such as D2h, Airtel, Dish TV etc are forcefully migrating their consumers into ‘junk packs’. Why are they doing this?
Keep reading to find out more!
TataSky Users Beware: Blackout Can Happen After January 31st
Except for TataSky, every other DTH operator and cable TV company has announced their new plans, as per TRAI’s new rules.
While hearing a petition on the matter related with Cable TV rules, Delhi High Court took notice of this issue, and have warned TataSky to update the new plans, asap.
The division bench of Chief Justice V Kameswar Rao has clearly informed TataSky that in case they are not able to update the new plans, under the new TRAI rules, then their customers’ Televisions run the risk of black-out, after January 31st.
TRAI has already informed that the deadline for implementing new TRAI rules won’t be extended anymore, and January 31st is the last date.
The appeal which was being heard in the Court was filed by Tata Sky, Bharti Telemedia, Discovery Communications India, and Tarun Mehta, regarding the cap of 15% discount on cable/DTH packs, as prescribed by TRAI.
Senior Counsel and political leader Kapil Sibal is representing TataSky, whereas TRAI is being represented by Tushar Singh and Saket Singh.
Earlier, TataSky had received a reprieve from updating the new plans and pack, based on this petition itself. However, the reprieve was till January 10th only, and still, TataSky hasn’t been able to update the new packs.
DTH Consumers Forced Into ‘Junk Packs’
Ultra.news has reported that several consumers from big DTH companies like Airtel, D2h, Dish have complained about being forcefully migrated into ‘junk packs’.
Here, junk packs refer to channel packs which are less popular and/or grouped under FTA or Free to Air packs by the broadcasters. D2h, for instance, as become the first DTH form to migrate their consumers into the new packs, by default.
Without naming any DTH provider, one such unnamed consumer complained: “My DTH provider is forcing me to select a base pack for FTA [free to air] with 100 channels, which they say cannot be modified or deleted, and quotes that it is a TRAI mandate to have those 100 channels and they cannot change it,”
Responding to these allegations, TRAI has once again issued a press release, stressing the fact that consumers have the ultimate right to choose or delete channels from their packs.
TRAI said, “Consumer has complete freedom to choose their desired 100 Standard Definition (SD) channels within the network capacity fee of maximum Rs.130 I-. The desired channels could be in A-Ia-carte Free to Air channels or Pay channels or bouquet of pay channels or any combination thereof. The choice completely rests with the consumers,”
Migrating Millions Of Consumers Is a Tough Job
In their defense, DTH firms have stated that as the issue of migrating millions of customers into new packs is a huge, time-taking task. It is not feasible to inform each and every consumer their choices of channels on the call, and it is not feasible to expect that millions of consumers will open apps/website to manually select the channels.
Hence, to start the process, these cable operators and DTH firms are creating few ‘base’ or ‘starter packs’, and migrating consumers into them. Once the new packs kick-in, the consumers can add/delete channels as per their wish, and the billing shall occur accordingly.
An unnamed official from a prominent DTH firm said, “It’s just a temporary problem. They will be given the choice of deleting or adding channels soon,”
If you want to checkout the starter packs, then here they are:
As mentioned above, Tata Sky hasnt yet updated the plans.
We will keep you updated, as more details come in.
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