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Three of the country’s six direct-to-home (DTH) service providers have stopped showing high definition channels Star Cricket and ESPN ahead of the much anticipated India-Pakistan series.
Airtel Digital TV, Sun Direct and Dish TV have stopped these channels on their platforms alleging hike in prices. “We have discontinued the HD channels because of arm-twisting by ESPN and Star Sports just ahead of the India-Pakistan series,” a top industry official said on conditions of anonymity.
However, this move has not gone down well with subscribers, who have questioned the basis of this sudden decision by DTH service providers.
Airtel Digital TV, the DTH service arm of Bharti Airtel, has also stopped showing the standard versions of ESPN, Star Cricket and Star Sports on its platform for some of its customers.
A spokesperson of Airtel Digital TV, who did not wish to be named, said, “ESPN Software India Pvt Ltd has increased the prices of both its standard definition and high definition packs.” Explaining the rationale for the sudden withdrawal of the channel, the spokesperson said, “Though the increase in prices of the standard definition (regular) version has been marginal, it has become unsustainable. So, we have moved these channels to another package.”
After the change, the company began to charge the customers an additional Rs 50 plus taxes to enable viewing of these channels on its platforms. Just days before the channels were withdrawn from the platform, Airtel supposedly sent text messages to its customers informing them that the sports channels will not be available.
“ESPN, Star Cricket and Star Sports will be replaced with Sony Six and Trace Sports with effect from December 22 on your Airtel Digital TV,” read a message that a customer got on his mobile phone.
The customer has posted this on digital television consumer forum Web site saveondish.com.
Customers unhappy
“Question is how they can touch existing subscription… It’s simply an unethical and greedy step. Everyone knows that Sony Six and Trace Sports are of no use to Indian viewers and no one will pay for these channels,” another customer wrote on the consumer court Web site. Even as the DTH providers discontinued the channels, ESPN Software India Pvt. Ltd issued a public advisory stating that it had not changed the charges on any of its channels.
“We would like to categorically state that we have not increased the prices of any of our channels. Any such allegation made by anyone, along the lines mentioned in certain news articles, is incorrect and misleading,” the company said in a public notice.
Customers, however, were miffed with this arbitrary and unilateral decision of Airtel.
> satyanarayan.iyer@thehindu.co.in
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