sathish456
Regular
Despite the hype around direct-to-home (DTH) and conditional access system (CAS') future being in the doldrums, the number of subscribers on this platform has finally increased in the CAS-notified areas of the four metros — Delhi , Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai.
Put simply, this implies that the number of homes which opted for set-top box (STBs) under the CAS regime in the metros has increased. This also marks the first time that CAS numbers, or those cable TV users who use an STB supplied by their cable TV operator, has witnessed an increase, after being in the decline mode for several quarters.
As per the data available with the government, the numbers of set-top boxes installed were continuously dipping between January-December 2007. Till the end of December, penetration of CAS was considered to be less than 50% as only an estimated 5 lakh households of the 11 lakh households in CAS-notified areas had switched to CAS. However, by March 2008, the number of set top boxes installed has for the first time increased to over 6.07 lakh , up by nearly 7%.
Multi System Operators (MSOs) believe that the number has been continuously increasing and the number of set top boxes would have clocked a further growth by June-end.
Delhi has seen an increase of about 2-3% in the past three months with over 1.97 lakh set top boxes being installed till March 08. Mumbai on the other hand continued to be the city with the highest penetration of CAS with over 2.42 lakh set top boxes being installed by the end of the first three months of the year.
Kolkata, however, saw a minor dip with its current subscriber base at an estimated 62,000 set top boxes. Chennai on the other hand witnessed a major dip with the number STBs reducing to 71,000 from 1.04 lakh in the previous quarter. However, MSOs point out that most paid channels are available as free to air channels and hence customers here were opting out of the CAS system.
\"Cable operators are finally waking up to the threat of DTH. Therefore, being able to have a direct access to consumer are trying to market CAS not only in notified areas but also in non-notified areas,\" said a senior executive with MSO firm.
Televisionpoint.com
Put simply, this implies that the number of homes which opted for set-top box (STBs) under the CAS regime in the metros has increased. This also marks the first time that CAS numbers, or those cable TV users who use an STB supplied by their cable TV operator, has witnessed an increase, after being in the decline mode for several quarters.
As per the data available with the government, the numbers of set-top boxes installed were continuously dipping between January-December 2007. Till the end of December, penetration of CAS was considered to be less than 50% as only an estimated 5 lakh households of the 11 lakh households in CAS-notified areas had switched to CAS. However, by March 2008, the number of set top boxes installed has for the first time increased to over 6.07 lakh , up by nearly 7%.
Multi System Operators (MSOs) believe that the number has been continuously increasing and the number of set top boxes would have clocked a further growth by June-end.
Delhi has seen an increase of about 2-3% in the past three months with over 1.97 lakh set top boxes being installed till March 08. Mumbai on the other hand continued to be the city with the highest penetration of CAS with over 2.42 lakh set top boxes being installed by the end of the first three months of the year.
Kolkata, however, saw a minor dip with its current subscriber base at an estimated 62,000 set top boxes. Chennai on the other hand witnessed a major dip with the number STBs reducing to 71,000 from 1.04 lakh in the previous quarter. However, MSOs point out that most paid channels are available as free to air channels and hence customers here were opting out of the CAS system.
\"Cable operators are finally waking up to the threat of DTH. Therefore, being able to have a direct access to consumer are trying to market CAS not only in notified areas but also in non-notified areas,\" said a senior executive with MSO firm.
Televisionpoint.com