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The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) may consider holding weekly review meetings with industry representatives to monitor the progress of the transition of TV viewers to the new broadcast tariff order.
According to industry sources, TRAI officials on Thursday told industry stakeholders in a meeting, that while the tariff order will become effective from December 29, the Distribution Platform Operators (DPO) should not disrupt TV services of subscribers and give them some additional time to transition to the new tariff regime.
On Wednesday, TRAI said in a statement that it is working on a migration plan for subscribers to give them an opportunity to make informed choices.
Sources said that this migration plan can be for a period of up to 30 days.
Weekly reports
At the same time, the DPOs which include DTH service providers and Multi System Operators (MSO), are likely to be asked to submit weekly reports on the number of subscribers who have migrated to the new subscription plans in accordance with the new tariff order, sources added.
The telecom and broadcast regulator has also asked broadcasters, MSOs and DTH service providers to step up efforts to create awareness among consumers regarding the new tariff order.
It has asked industry stakeholders to urge subscribers to shift to the new tariff regime through direct communications, scrolls on TV channels and radio jingles, besides advertisements.
Customers’ choice
The new tariff order will allow consumers to choose and pay only for the TV channels they want to watch.
All the TV networks have already released the maximum retail price of their channels on an a-la-carte basis as well as pricing of their bouquets.
It may be recalled that TRAI’s current approach is on the lines of the one adopted during the implementation of the Digital Addressable System (DAS) in the country.
Meanwhile, a recent Edelweiss Securities report stated that the new tariff order will lead to some disruption impacting all stakeholders in the value chain.
“In the short time, ARPU (Average revenue per user) is likely to be volatile due to price calibration from customers and distributors. However, over the long term, the new regulations will boost ARPU and be conducive to broadcasters’ revenues,” it added.
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