The Hindu Business Line : Zee to invest Rs 900 cr in digital cable service

Zee Group announced, on Wednesday, that it would be investing Rs 800-900 crore in its digital cable service over the next two years. It's company, Wire and Wireless India Ltd, (formerly known as Siti Cable Network), would be using the investment to offer Internet access and Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) through its new digital cable service, GalaxZee. The service would be offered through set top boxes.

"The shift to digital cable in India will take people by surprise. Irrespective of CAS being mandated, digital cable is all set to take over and we already have demand for it from non-CAS mandated areas, from places such as Allahabad and Jalandhar," said Mr Jagjit Singh Kohli, CEO, WWIL. The company will be offering `headed to the sky' or HITS service by March, which will allow cable multi-system operator, housing communities or interested organisations across the country to access WWIL's cable network through transponders connected via satellite, liberating WWIL from setting up physical cable connections. The channels will, however, not be charged at Rs 5 per pay channel as in CAS areas.

Digital video recording

GalaxZee set top box will soon be equipped with digital video recording capacities and allow for triple play of voice, video and data, apart from offering Internet and VOIP.

Mr Kohli, who foresees set top boxes that will do e-commerce and accept card payments in the near future, said that the current STB would be exchanged, charging customers only for the difference of price for the new value added STB when it comes into the market.

For now, the GalaxZee service for the CAS areas will offer common features of parental lock, games, and video on demand that DTH providers have been promising and will also have a 24 hours customer grievance cell. Admitting that GalaxZee would be in direct competition to the Zee Groups' DTH offering Dish TV, Mr Kohli, however, listed out cable advantages. "You cannot get interactivity, like you can through cable networks, since DTH is satellite operated. And then a nationalised DTH provider will never be able to provide you with the local content and information that your cable guy can offer, and as TAM ratings suggest that's what most people want to see."

The price you pay for your choice of entertainment will depend on the bouquet of channels and the schemes you opt for.

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