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Apart from ASC, other companies that have applied for a DTH licence
include Space TV, a company promoted by Star India employees.
India's pubcaster Doordarshan, which has got a government permission,
expects its DTH operations to begin from April 2004. It will consisting
mainly of DD channels and South Indian regional channels, though
talks would be initiated with other private satellite channels -
like Star and Sony - to join the platform on a revenue sharing basis.
The Siti Cable executive also said that DTH venture is likely to
go on air by early October. "We are targeting to formally launch
the service in the first week of October. Marketing activities are
on at the moment." The likely launch date is 2 October, which
coincides with the anniversary of Zee TV.
The ASC-Siti Cable combine is also looking at making available
the DTH service to consumers at a comparatively low cost --- much
lower than what has been touted by the industry. The industry, however,
has cited global trends where DTH is a costly affair with niche
and super-premium fare being aired through the service.
According to the Siti Cable executive, "The monthly subscription
rates are still being worked out, but they will be competitive and
comparable to cable service."
The subscription fee for cable service in India, on an average,
ranges between Rs 150 to Rs 450 (approximately between $ 3.50 to
$9.60) per month.
It is also expected that to woo customers to the DTH service, Dish
TV would keep the rates of the hardware needed for the service,
including the dish and the box, to around Rs 5,000 (approximately
$106). That would also include the one-time installation fee.
Earlier, ASC had petitioned the government to give it some relaxation
on the the bank guarantee of Rs 400 million that had to be furnished
before the licence was signed for a period of 10 years, as mandated
in the guidelines.
ASC had said since no Indian bank gives a bank guarantee for such
a long period, like in the telecom sector, it should be allowed
to furnish a bank guarantee renewable every two years or so. The
government had agreed to this request.
Dish TV is expected to be launched with 48 TV channels and this
is expected to go up to over 100 in a year. Additionally, the first
phase will have several radio channels in the first phase, apart
from other value-added services like electronic programming guide
and parental lock to keep the kids from watching unpalatable fare,
if any. The number of channels on Dish TV is expected to go up to
over 100 within a year of launch.
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