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The
Delhi-based National Cable and Telecommunications Association,
representing a section of cable operators in the north,
says it will switch off retransmission for ESPN Star Sports
for two months.
An
NCTA release says that at yesterday's meeting of the NC
TA in New Delhi, the cable TV service providers agreed to
take a consolidated stand against "the arbitrary increase
in the subscription fee" for the two channels. Among the
independent cable TV service providers and MSOs who the
NCTA says have decided to do battle with ESPN are the Zee
group promoted Siti Cable, the Hinduja Group's InCablenet,
Hathway Cables promoted Win Cable, Home Cable and Spectra
Net. According to the NCTA release, the MSOs decided while
transmission would be suspended for an initial period of
two months, they would also be collectively returning the
viewing cards of the IRD'S provided by ESPN Software, so
that they are not charged for the duration in which they
do not avail the services of the two channels for re-distribution.
Sources
in Hathway however denied that they had switched of the
feed and said both the channels were being screened. Queried
as to whether Win Cable (Hathway is an 80 per cent stakeholder
while the remaining 20 per cent is held by ETC Networks
Ltd) had signed on to the new subscription regime of ESPN
Star Sports, he said talks were still on. The NCTA has taken
offence at the print advertisement put out by ESPN Software
in some English dailies, allegedly 'derogatory' to cable
TV service providers. The meeting decided to initiate necessary
legal steps against ESPN Software in protest against the
offending ad, which is ostensibly meant to goad the viewer
into insisting for the two sports channels from the cable
op. The ops say the viewers are unconvinced that the hike
is justified, as both channels are "event based and are
watched only for the duration that any major sports event
is transmitted."
"The
stand taken by the service providers is significant because
this pay TV broadcaster insist upon charging subscription
fee from Cable TV service providers even for the duration
they do not avail the services of the said company for redistribution
purposes," says the NCTA release. The association has also
asked that if any advance payment has already been made
to the pay channels by the cable ops, it will have to be
adjusted once redistribution is resumed.
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