Interactivity in TV viewing will see the light of day in India with the proposed introduction of Conditional Access Systems (CAS), says Canal+ Technologies general manager sales-Asia/Pacific Nicolas Andrieu.

CAS, says Andrieu, will be the key to the concept of pay TV, hitherto unknown in India. "The role of CAS in the pay-TV segment is going to be monumental as it alone can ensure that everyone, from the Broadcasters to MSOs and viewers, all benefit. CAS would ensure that the broadcasters' rights to their content are not violated; that the MSOs get their fair share of revenues from the subscribers; and last, but not the least, the viewers pay only for what they watch and not for what is being fed to them indiscriminately according to the whims and fancies of the cable operators", he says in a statement.

The imminent introduction of CAS definitely augurs well for Canal +, a global leader in providing Conditional Access systems Mediaguard to over 30 digital operators and broadcasters. It is also a leading international provider of digital and interactive TV software solutions with more than 13.1 million set-top boxes powered by its software. It is one of the founding members and a very active participant of the Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) consortium and has been implementing DVB CAS solutions since 1996. WINfirst in the US, CANALSATELLITE in France, Astro Measat and Zee TV are some of Canal+'s clients worldwide.

Says Andrieu, "The Indian viewers are no longer shackled to the old conventional TV viewing. They can now, exercise their freedom of choice, the essence of any open economy."



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