A Behala resident could not watch the gripping Test match between India and Australia.
A Kasba resident could not watch her favourite Bengali soaps.
Many cable TV subscribers in the city had their preferred channels taken off air on Saturday because of a dispute between a section of multi-system operators (MSO) and broadcasters over an imminent hike in charges.
The subscribers of GTPL-KCBPL, Hathway and Den were among those who could not watch the channels of Star, Zee and Sony on Saturday.
The scroll on their screens said that broadcasters might have removed certain channels as cable operators refused to comply with a tariff hike to protect consumer interests.
Sources in the communications sector said over 60 per cent of Kolkatans were MSO subscribers and DTH players were still trying to make inroads into the market.
The dispute pertains to a new tariff order, issued by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. The New Tariff Order (NTO) 2.0 was supposed to have been implemented from February 1, 2023. Major broadcasters sent a notice to all members of the All India Digital Cable Federation (AICDF) after many of them did not comply with the order.
The AICDF had approached Kerala High Court challenging the hike in rates. The court refused to stay the implementation of the new tariff order but the matter is still in court.
“Under the new tariff order, a package that now costs around Rs 300 will go up to around Rs 450. A basic package of Star Network that now costs Rs 49 will come at Rs 69. This new order will only benefit broadcasters. Consumers, especially in tier-two and tier-three cities, will find the revised rate very steep. We are not against a hike but it should not be so steep,” said Ankit Agarwal of GTPL-KCBPL, one of the leading MSOs.
The MSO has a subscriber base of around eight lakhs in Kolkata. It is also present in the rest of Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha and Northeast.
A section of MSOs had in January moved Calcutta High Court, challenging the increase in fares. The case is due for a hearing next week.
The DTH operators are already on board with the broadcasters and have informed subscribers of an upward revision in rates.
Not all MSOs in Kolkata are against the revision of charges. SitiCable, a leading MSO in Kolkata, is already on board with the broadcasters.
