The Hindu Business Line : 'Sun Direct can pick and choose MSM Discovery channels'

NEW DELHI: Allowing a petition of Sun Direct, tribunal TDSAT on Wednesday directed MSM Discovery, distributor of broadcasters Sony and Discovery, to provide channels on a-la-carte (pick and choose) basis to the Chennai-based DTH operator.

The TDSAT bench headed by Justice Arun Kumar held that the Sun TV group-owned DTH platform was entitled to pick any channel from the bunch of 15 channels bouquet of MSM Discovery and would pay in accordance with their reference interconnect offer (RIO).

"We hold that the petitioner (Sun Direct) is entitled to the channels of its choice from the respondent (MSM Discovery) on a-la-carte basis. We direct the respondent to supply signals of such channel that the petitioner may desire and at the rates and on terms indicated in the RIO," said the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal in its judgment.

MSM Discovery (Now One Alliance) has distributorship of Animal Planet, AXN, Discovery Channel, Discovery Travel and Living, MTV India, SAB TV, Sony Entertainment, SET Max, SET PIX , Aaj Tak, Headlines Today and others.

Six-month-old dispute between Sun Direct and MSM Discovery arose when MSM Discovery's channel SET Max was exclusively telecasting IPL 20-20 cricket matches. In April this year, following the directions of TDSAT, MSM Discovery agreed to share its feed fo r entire bouquet for Rs 67 per month.

However later on the request of Sun Direct, the tribunal modified its order and directed MSM Discovery to give SET Max signals at Rs 12.50 per month on a-la-carte basis. Later, during the final hearing, MSM Discovery submitted that Sun TV group altered its stand after IPL matches were over and gained maximum mileage by offering free of cost to its customers. It also submitted that post IPL, Sun Direct asked its customers to pay Rs 20 for viewing the channels. - PTI

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