The relatively nascent direct-to-home (DTH) service, which involves satellite transmission of television programmes via a personal dish, is facing its share of teething troubles.
While consumers concede that DTH provides superior picture and sound quality, some have raised objection with regard to beaming of free-to-air channels. Their grouse is that DTH packages offer a limited number of free channels over which they have no control.
Pritee Shah of Ahmedabad’s Consumer Education and Research Centre (CERC) says she herself is a complainant. “You have to take up a package, which gives you no room for negotiation. Earlier when you wanted an LPG connection, you were forced to a buy gas stove too. This is something like that.’’
Shah suggests a structure where a subscriber can tick the required channels “so that the consumer has a choice in the matter. After all, this is direct-to-home.”
The CERC and Delhi-based National Consumer Helpline, a project supported by the ministry of consumer affairs, refer to other complaints such as free channels being abruptly taken off air without notice.
A UP resident, for instance, says his free channels were discontinued after a year of subscription. Another Delhi resident says his Punjabi channel no longer reaches him.
This, even though the regulator telecom regulatory authority of India’s (TRAI) quality of service regulation for DTH, issued in 2007, specifies that no operator can discontinue exhibition of any channel without prior notice to the subscriber.
V M Oza, honorary director, complaints, at Consumer Education and Research Centre says, “Subscribers are given such excuses like the channels are only part of the (consumers’) welcome kit.’’
S K Virmani of the National Consumer Helpline adds that consumers suspect the free to air channels pulled so as to make them subscribe to more pay channels.
In a written statement to Times of India, a spokesperson at Tata Sky, a major direct-to-home operator, says there is unlimited availability of content from various sources.
“However, limited transponder capacity and projected increased costs to consumers prevent us from carrying all the available content. We endeavour to balance the varied viewing interests of consumers on an all India basis vis-a-vis specific preferences, while simultaneously providing the best quality services at the best possible prices.’’
TRAI chairman Nripendra Misra himself says a consumer is not supposed to get all the free channels “because there is always limitation of bandwidth.’’
The Tata Sky spokesperson adds, “Neither do we advertise FTA (free to air) channels nor do we charge our subscribers for these channels. We show these channels on a trial basis for a considerable length of time and then depending on the consumers’ response, we decide whether to continue them or not. This activity is purely in the larger interests of the consumers.’’
A spokesperson at Dish TV, the other major DTH operator, insists the company has not taken any free channel off to date. The only time this happened was when a channel bouquet itself converted from free to pay, the spokesperson adds
Do free-to-air channels have a limited shelf life in DTH?-India Business-Business-The Times of India
While consumers concede that DTH provides superior picture and sound quality, some have raised objection with regard to beaming of free-to-air channels. Their grouse is that DTH packages offer a limited number of free channels over which they have no control.
Pritee Shah of Ahmedabad’s Consumer Education and Research Centre (CERC) says she herself is a complainant. “You have to take up a package, which gives you no room for negotiation. Earlier when you wanted an LPG connection, you were forced to a buy gas stove too. This is something like that.’’
Shah suggests a structure where a subscriber can tick the required channels “so that the consumer has a choice in the matter. After all, this is direct-to-home.”
The CERC and Delhi-based National Consumer Helpline, a project supported by the ministry of consumer affairs, refer to other complaints such as free channels being abruptly taken off air without notice.
A UP resident, for instance, says his free channels were discontinued after a year of subscription. Another Delhi resident says his Punjabi channel no longer reaches him.
This, even though the regulator telecom regulatory authority of India’s (TRAI) quality of service regulation for DTH, issued in 2007, specifies that no operator can discontinue exhibition of any channel without prior notice to the subscriber.
V M Oza, honorary director, complaints, at Consumer Education and Research Centre says, “Subscribers are given such excuses like the channels are only part of the (consumers’) welcome kit.’’
S K Virmani of the National Consumer Helpline adds that consumers suspect the free to air channels pulled so as to make them subscribe to more pay channels.
In a written statement to Times of India, a spokesperson at Tata Sky, a major direct-to-home operator, says there is unlimited availability of content from various sources.
“However, limited transponder capacity and projected increased costs to consumers prevent us from carrying all the available content. We endeavour to balance the varied viewing interests of consumers on an all India basis vis-a-vis specific preferences, while simultaneously providing the best quality services at the best possible prices.’’
TRAI chairman Nripendra Misra himself says a consumer is not supposed to get all the free channels “because there is always limitation of bandwidth.’’
The Tata Sky spokesperson adds, “Neither do we advertise FTA (free to air) channels nor do we charge our subscribers for these channels. We show these channels on a trial basis for a considerable length of time and then depending on the consumers’ response, we decide whether to continue them or not. This activity is purely in the larger interests of the consumers.’’
A spokesperson at Dish TV, the other major DTH operator, insists the company has not taken any free channel off to date. The only time this happened was when a channel bouquet itself converted from free to pay, the spokesperson adds
Do free-to-air channels have a limited shelf life in DTH?-India Business-Business-The Times of India