(13 June 2008 4:30 pm)

NEW DELHI: Broadcast regulator Trai said today that broadcasters have agreed to offer their channels on an a la carte basis and on prices the same as those they are offering DTH players, which is half of the rates they are charging cable operators.

A note from the sector regulator says: "Broadcasters have broadly agreed to offer channels on a la carte basis and also to offer the same bouquets to the service providers offering IPTV service as are being offered to DTH operators.

"It was also broadly agreed that the rates of bouquets and a-la-carte rates of pay channels so offered for IPTV services would be same as being offered to DTH operators, i.e., at 50 percent of the rates applicable for non-CAS cable TV networks."

Trai's "clear and unambiguous advice" was that DTH and IPTV platform should receive similar and uniform treatment as uniquely addressable systems.

"The Authority views this as a positive step on the part of the broadcasters to move towards uniform pricing for different addressable delivery platforms," says the statement.

However, this came as a result of repeated parleys between Trai and IPTV players on the one hand and the regulator and broadcasters on the other.

As Trai says, it had first ordered broadcasters to offer a la carte and on prices the same as given to DTH players, but many IPTV service providers had complained that the broadcasters were refusing to do so.

Earlier, TRAI had sent its recommendations to the information & broadcasting ministry, and Department of Telecommunication (DoT) on 4 January on the issue of "Provision of IPTV Services".

Trai says it held interactive discussions on 14 and 16 May with the broadcasters of pay channels regarding the rates and packaging of channels being offered by them for IPTV service for facilitating faster growth of IPTV service in the country.

"In the meantime, some of the service providers have experienced difficulties in getting television channels from the broadcasters at prices on which DTH service providers are getting in line with Trai determination. The Authority has held interactive discussions with the broadcasters on the subject.

It is only after the last round of such euphemistically put "interactive discussions" that the broadcasters agreed.

"During the course of the discussions, a general consensus to adopt non-discriminatory price regime has emerged on the composition of bouquets and pricing of channels on a-la-carte and bouquets basis for IPTV services," Trai Advisor (B & CS), R N Chaubey says, noting that this is a welcome decision by the broadcasters.