Trai new tariff order

As planned by telecom regulator TRAI, NTO 3.0 (New Tariff Order) has been implemented today, February 1, 2023. As per sources, almost 80% of DPOs have already signed up with the broadcasters agreeing to the latest NTO regime. BestMediaInfo.com has found out from sources that Disney Star, Sony and Zee have sent a list of 775 MSOs, 700 MSOs and 715 MSOs, respectively to TRAI who have signed and implemented NTO 3.0. Even DTH Players like Tata Play, Dish TV and Airtel Digital TV have signed agreements to implement NTO 3.0. The other 20%, who are mostly AIDCF (All India Digital Cable Federation) members, are not in the favour of the new tariff regime and are waiting for the final order from Kerala High Court – which is to come on February 8, 2023. But even after being an AIDCF member, Siti Cable has agreed to implement NTO 3.0. Last month, AIDCF had submitted a petition to the Kerala High Court against the implementation of NTO 3.0. But on January 6, 2023, Kerala HC refused to grant a stay on the NTO 3.0 while adjourning the matter. According to sources, even yesterday, AIDCF tried to persuade the court to hold the implementation, but the court found no merit in their case being put forward at this stage. AIDCF has been against the new NTO because it would increase consumer costs and eventually the cable operators will have to bear the brunt. A cable operator, under conditions of anonymity, said, “We have already been losing customers, and this price hike by channels will furth...

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) today issued the Telecommunication (Broadcasting and Cable) Services (Eighth) (Addressable Systems) Tariff (Third Amendment) Order, 2022 (4 of 2022) and the Telecommunication (Broadcasting and Cable) Services Interconnection (Addressable Systems) (Fourth Amendment) Regulations, 2022 (2 of 2022). Main features of the amendments: • Continuance of forbearance on MRP of TV channels • Only those channels which are having MRP of Rs.19/ – or less will be permitted to be part of a bouquet • Broadcaster can offer a maximum discount of 45% while pricing its bouquet of pay channels over the sum of MRPs of all the of pay channels in that bouquet • Discount offered as an incentive by a broadcaster on the maximum retail price of a pay channel shall be based on combined subscription of that channel both in a-la-carte as well as in bouquets Welcoming the recent amendments to NTO made by TRAI, K Madhavan, President, Indian Broadcasting & Digital Foundation, Country Manager and President of Disney Star, “NTO 2.0 is the outcome of the strong collaboration between industry and TRAI under the leadership of Dr. Vaghela. “Rather than pursue a litigative approach to address pending demands, our approach of engaging in constructive dialogue has allowed us to make strong progress in creating a more conducive environment for the industry on the pricing front. We remain confident of moving to an environment of regulatory forbearance,” Madhavan added. O...

The revised New Tariff Order (NTO) announced by the regulator, TRAI, is indeed consumer-friendly as it not just reinforces the concept of buying channels a-la-carte in true spirits, it also implies the reduction of average cable bills by 30-50 per cent. However, the broadcasters are up in arms and are all set to contest the new regulation in the courts, and for obvious reasons. The earlier tariff order (issued in August last year), coupled with the economic slowdown is supposed to have significantly eroded the revenue of most broadcasters, and this one could further add to their woes. In the first phase of NTO, revenues of English entertainment channels and other niche channels had dipped sharply on account of their reach dipping by over 50 per cent. Advertisers who typically advertised on television for reach were confused as to which channel to advertise on, as the reach of not just niche but general entertainment channels had also got impacted. In the NTO 2 regime, this confusion for advertisers and thereby the broadcasters could multiply as the consumer is empowered to actually subscribe to only those channels she wishes to watch. In the first phase, most consumers preferred buying broadcaster-created packages as these were heavily discounted and buying a-la-carte turned out expensive. So, a consumer wanting to watch ZEE, Star Plus, Colors and SET, preferred buying bouquets created by each of these broadcasters as they were cheaper than buying channels individually. Bu...

Last year in February, TRAI introduced a framework (called National Tariff Order i.e. NTO 1) to regulate Broadcasting and Cable services in India. The framework was quite interesting as it brings transparency among customers and gives broadcasters complete freedom. For example, before the framework was released we don’t know the individual price of Television Channels which is now present in front of us in the channel guide. Also, earlier, the subscribers don’t have the facility to subscribe to an individual channel. Similarly, broadcasters haven’t the facility to decide the price of their Television Channels. However, the National Tariff Order released last year fulfills the desires of everyone. The facility was introduced to benefit everyone that includes Broadcasters, Subscribers, and Regulatory bodies, but certain broadcasters misuse the same facility. In a press release released recently, TRAI says some broadcaster enhance their channel price drastically more than 100%. The result is consumers have to pay more. Seems like these are some of the reasons TRAI amended the National Tariff Order they released last year. Now, TRAI has brought a new tariff order (the amended version of NTO 1) which they are calling NTO 2. NTO 2 became live in India from 1st January 2020. Well, the thing is, From NTO 1, those who get the most benefit is the broadcasters and now with the introduction of NT0 2, subscribers are going to get the maximum benefits. Here is How. Here is what you need...

DoT will get regular updates twice a day about how many sites have been affected and what contingent measures have been taken by telcos, officials said. The telecom operators have commenced intra-circle roaming arrangements in the affected areas to allow subscribers to make calls and send messages utilising the network of any telecom firms. The regulator is looking to utilise latest technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and other digital tools to improve telecom services, a senior official told ET, asking not to be identified. As the regulator wants to track the QoS norms at the state and district levels, as against at the circle level currently followed, the parameters will be set accordingly, the official added. Jio and Airtel reported a 1.7% and 1.3% sequential rises in AGR (including NLD revenue) to Rs 23,300 crore and Rs 20,400 crore respectively in the January-March quarter. By contrast, Vi’s AGR fell 1.1% on-quarter to Rs 9,300 crore, underlining the latter’s continuing inability to compete effectively with its two financially-stronger rivals. PEs or principal entities are the enterprises that send commercial messages to customers using SMS. In 2018, Trai mandated the use of a DLT platform, which is blockchain-based, to register, verify, and then send commercial messages. Enterprises were asked to register the header, or the sender code, and the template of the commercial message to be sent. Only registered entities are allowed to send commercial messages u...

Television broadcasters on Friday said the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) new tariff order (NTO) will not only increase bills for customers but also stifle the industry. The heads of TV broadcasting companies came together on a common platform to express concerns about the NTO. “Even as the new regime was settling down, on January 1, 2020, TRAI notified certain amendments to the New Tariff Order and Interconnection Regulations for the broadcast sector. These amendments attempt to make further disruptive changes in an industry already grappling with the paradigm shift to an MRP-based pricing regime,” Indian Broadcasting Foundation President NP Singh said. There have been 36 changes in regulation announced by TRAI in the last 15 years, making it extremely difficult for broadcasters in India to do business and contrary to the government’s stated position of ensuring ease of doing business, he added. New tariff order TRAI’s new tariff order mandates an MRP of ₹12 per channel, down from the earlier ₹19. It also restricts discounting on channel bouquets to promote a la carte offerings. But, broadcasters say it will not help in lowering cable bills as is widely perceived; instead, it willlead to an increase in monthly bills. Since October, most broadcasters have already been offering their popular channels for ₹12 instead of the MRP of ₹19 that was earlier enforced. Yet, the broadcasters claim, there was hardly any uptake for a la carte channels as consumers prefe...

BREAKING NEWS • GCI Expands 5G Wireless Service in Alaska’s Capital City • Vodafone Idea Cuts Lose 25000 Retail Partners to Reduce Costs: Report • DXC Technology Launches DXC Signal Private LTE and 5G Solution • Airtel Wynk Music Unveils Enhanced User Experience With Wynk 2.0 • Dish 5G Network Now Covers 70 Percent of the US Population More FTA Channels in Initial NCF Slab Likely to Bring Back Subscribers After the new For the unaware, the National Tariff Order 1.0 offered just 100 channels in the base slab of Rs 130, and including taxes, the charges become Rs 153. After which, subscribers are being charged Rs 23 per month for every slab of additional 25 channels, inclusive of all taxes. So if a customer chooses The NTO 2.0 changes this. Trai is planning to offer 200 FTA channels with the base slab of Rs 130, so subscribers will not have to worry about increased NCF charges for additional FTA channels. Trai Tariff Order 2.0 Might Make TV Subscriptions Affordable by 14% The Trai tariff regime fully became effective on April 1, 2019, and the subscriber base immediately dented in the quarter. The active pay DTH user base declined drastically in Q2 2019 as subscribers faced increased TV bills and sub-par implementation of tariff regime from the operators. The new rules mean the DTH and Cable TV subscriptions will become affordable by up to 14%, says ICRA. "These changes in tariff could potentially lower the direct-to-home (DTH)/cable bills of the subscribers by up to 14% from ...

The revised New Tariff Order (NTO) announced by the regulator, TRAI, is indeed consumer-friendly as it not just reinforces the concept of buying channels a-la-carte in true spirits, it also implies the reduction of average cable bills by 30-50 per cent. However, the broadcasters are up in arms and are all set to contest the new regulation in the courts, and for obvious reasons. The earlier tariff order (issued in August last year), coupled with the economic slowdown is supposed to have significantly eroded the revenue of most broadcasters, and this one could further add to their woes. In the first phase of NTO, revenues of English entertainment channels and other niche channels had dipped sharply on account of their reach dipping by over 50 per cent. Advertisers who typically advertised on television for reach were confused as to which channel to advertise on, as the reach of not just niche but general entertainment channels had also got impacted. In the NTO 2 regime, this confusion for advertisers and thereby the broadcasters could multiply as the consumer is empowered to actually subscribe to only those channels she wishes to watch. In the first phase, most consumers preferred buying broadcaster-created packages as these were heavily discounted and buying a-la-carte turned out expensive. So, a consumer wanting to watch ZEE, Star Plus, Colors and SET, preferred buying bouquets created by each of these broadcasters as they were cheaper than buying channels individually. Bu...

As planned by telecom regulator TRAI, NTO 3.0 (New Tariff Order) has been implemented today, February 1, 2023. As per sources, almost 80% of DPOs have already signed up with the broadcasters agreeing to the latest NTO regime. BestMediaInfo.com has found out from sources that Disney Star, Sony and Zee have sent a list of 775 MSOs, 700 MSOs and 715 MSOs, respectively to TRAI who have signed and implemented NTO 3.0. Even DTH Players like Tata Play, Dish TV and Airtel Digital TV have signed agreements to implement NTO 3.0. The other 20%, who are mostly AIDCF (All India Digital Cable Federation) members, are not in the favour of the new tariff regime and are waiting for the final order from Kerala High Court – which is to come on February 8, 2023. But even after being an AIDCF member, Siti Cable has agreed to implement NTO 3.0. Last month, AIDCF had submitted a petition to the Kerala High Court against the implementation of NTO 3.0. But on January 6, 2023, Kerala HC refused to grant a stay on the NTO 3.0 while adjourning the matter. According to sources, even yesterday, AIDCF tried to persuade the court to hold the implementation, but the court found no merit in their case being put forward at this stage. AIDCF has been against the new NTO because it would increase consumer costs and eventually the cable operators will have to bear the brunt. A cable operator, under conditions of anonymity, said, “We have already been losing customers, and this price hike by channels will furth...

Television broadcasters on Friday said the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) new tariff order (NTO) will not only increase bills for customers but also stifle the industry. The heads of TV broadcasting companies came together on a common platform to express concerns about the NTO. “Even as the new regime was settling down, on January 1, 2020, TRAI notified certain amendments to the New Tariff Order and Interconnection Regulations for the broadcast sector. These amendments attempt to make further disruptive changes in an industry already grappling with the paradigm shift to an MRP-based pricing regime,” Indian Broadcasting Foundation President NP Singh said. There have been 36 changes in regulation announced by TRAI in the last 15 years, making it extremely difficult for broadcasters in India to do business and contrary to the government’s stated position of ensuring ease of doing business, he added. New tariff order TRAI’s new tariff order mandates an MRP of ₹12 per channel, down from the earlier ₹19. It also restricts discounting on channel bouquets to promote a la carte offerings. But, broadcasters say it will not help in lowering cable bills as is widely perceived; instead, it willlead to an increase in monthly bills. Since October, most broadcasters have already been offering their popular channels for ₹12 instead of the MRP of ₹19 that was earlier enforced. Yet, the broadcasters claim, there was hardly any uptake for a la carte channels as consumers prefe...