Watch 200 Channels At Rs 130 Under New Cable TV Rules; Save 15% Per Month In Cable TV Bills!

At the start of 2020, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) published revised tariff order in New Tariff Order 2.0 for broadcasters and cable/ DTH operators to provide 200 FTA (free-to-air) channels at Rs 153.

The revised tarrif regime is set to reduce your cable TV bills by 15%.

Here are the details…

How did NTO 1.0 disappoint the public back then?

The National Tariff Order 1.0 offered just 100 channels at the cost of Rs 130, and including taxes, the charges become Rs 153. After which, subscribers were being charged Rs 23 per month for every additional 25 channels, inclusive of all taxes.

So if the customer chooses any other channel other than FTA channels, he had to buy the channel as a la carte. This annoyed a lot of consumers back then. Consumers were also disappointed by the additional FTA charges.

The active pay DTH user base shot down in second quarter of 2019 as subscribers faced 20% increased TV bills and sub-par implementation of tariff regime from the operators.

Does implementation of NTO 2.0 bring any positive changes?

NTO 2.0 will focus on several areas like the reduction of NCF (Network Capacity Fee) for Multi TV users, more FTA channels in the initial cost of Rs 130, changes to how channel bouquets and discounts being offered by broadcasters and cable/DTH operators, and more.

The implementation of NTO 2.0 is set to attract users and renew their subscription because the new changes are said to make subscriptions affordable by at least 15%.

One of the major reasons for disappointment from NOT 1.0 were the NCF which is about to change in NTO 2.0. Instead of bringing down the price the TRAI is set to add twice the number of  channels in the initial package at the same rate Rs153 (Rs 130 plus taxes).

Delay in the Implementation of NTO 2.0?

The TRAI was set to implement NTO 2.0 in March 2020 but the broadcasters and cable/DTH operators took the matter to court.

The final verdict is expected to come on February 12, 2020.

The broadcasters and cable/DTH operators like TATA Sky, Dish TV and such may announce their renewed plans on the same day but will be implemented from March 1, 2020.