Section 50 in Telecommunication (Broadcasting and Cable) Services (Eighth) (Addressable Systems) Tariff Order, 2017
50. After holistic examination of responses from the stakeholders, received in response to the consultation paper, the Authority proposed a tariff framework in the draft TTO. While doing so, Authority noted the concerns of all the stakeholders in the value chain expressed in written submissions in response to consultation paper or during OHD. The shortcomings of present framework were also analyzed. Accordingly, in the draft TTO it was proposed that broadcasters would declare maximum retail price (MRP) (excluding taxes) of their a-la-carte pay channels for subscribers. Broadcasters would also offer bouquets of their pay channels and declare MRP (excluding taxes) of bouquets for subscribers. However, MRP of such bouquets of pay channels would not be less than 85% of the sum of maximum retail price of the a-la-carte pay channels forming part of the bouquet. It was further proposed that distributors of television channels would charge a monthly rental amount of maximum Rs. 130/- (excluding taxes) per month from a subscriber for subscribing a network capacity of 100 SD channels. Distributors would be permitted to form their own bouquets by including only a-la-carte pay channels of different broadcasters. It was also proposed that within the capacity of 100 SD channels, in addition to channels mandatorily provided to subscribers as notified by the Central Government, a subscriber would be free to choose any free-to-air channel, pay channel, premium channel or bouquet of channels offered by the broadcasters or bouquet of channels offered by the distributor of television channels.
