New Cable TV Rules: TRAI Says Monthy Expenses Will Reduce; New Website Launched To Help Consumers

AS per TRAI, DTH and Cable Operators won't be able to charge more, after February 1st

By Mohul Ghosh On Jan 22, 2019

TRAI says new Cable TV rules will bring down the cost

January 31st, 2019 is the last date of existing cable TV regulations and starting February 1st, the new Cable TV rules will be enforced.

As the deadline is drawing near, consumers are concerned whether the new Cable TV rules will be favorable for them or not. Besides, consumers are also worried as to how to choose channels and add their own bouquets.

TRAI has again come out and issued statements regarding the same. And a new website has also been launched, to help the end-users make an informed decision.

TRAI: Monthly Expenses Will Come Down After February 1st

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) chairman RS Sharma has vehemently defended the new Cable TV regulations, and have said that the expenses will come down for consumers after February 1st.

In an interview, he stated that after February 1st, most of the consumers will choose their pay channels in the 100-channel pack, which will help them to weed out unwanted channels, and only pay for those channels, which they want to watch.

He said, “By introducing a low-priced MRP regime, we want people to make informed choice about the channels that they want to watch — either from the free channels portfolio or from the paid stack.’

TRAI Assures: No BlackOut of Channels

TRAI has assured all consumers that even if they fail to select the pay channels, there won’t be any blackout of TV channels, and the FTA or Free to Air channels will continue to be broadcast.

All consumers will be anyways switched into Rs 130 basic plan, under which they will receive 100 SD channels. Gradually, as per TRAI, consumers will be able to select their channels themselves and pay for only those channels which they want to watch.

Justifying that the new regulations will help consumers to bring down their monthly expenses, RS Sharma said, “Through bouquets, the broadcasters and cable distributors such as DTH companies and cable operators were pushing too many channels on the people.”

As per TRAI, an average household only watched 50 channels in a month, and by this logic, the overall expenses has to come down after February 1st.

TRAI’s New Website Launched

Meanwhile, in order to help consumers make an informed decision, TRAI has launched a new portal.

After entering the name, state, and languages preferred, the self-help portal will guide the consumer to select the best FTA and Pay channels for their consumption, and also find out approximate expenses based on their preferences.

This new self-help portal lists MRPs of every pay channel, and the list of all FTA or Free to Air channels as well.

Do you have any questions related to the new Cable TV rules? Do let us know by commenting right here!

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