(21 March 2008 2:50 pm)

NEW DELHI: The MSO Alliance is in the course of a massive expansion of its membership and letters are being sent out to both the smaller players and the new entrants like Den and Digicable, sources told indiantelevision.com.

"This is the right time for the expansion, as both the government and the sector regulator Trai have been putting greater stress on MSOs in the process of digitalisation," said a senior MSO Alliance leader.

Taking up the issue of Trai and MIB's refrain - prominently sounded at the recent Casbaa PayTV Summit - that with 6,000 MSOs and 60,000 LCOs and the market being fragmented, MSO Alliance has got into the process of getting the sector more organised.

Digicable CEO JS Kohli had said in the seminar that only 30 to 35 per cent of the cable players are in the organised sector, and these are the three or four big players.

The MSO Alliance says that the expansion plan is to correct this anomaly.

"We are inviting not just smaller MSOs like Sristi and Manthan, but Ortel as well, which has informally consented to join. New players like Den and Digicable are also being invited," the MSO Alliance executive said.

The alliance argues that consolidation in the market has also to take place on a different vertical.

"I do not know if the 6,000 MSO figure is accurate, or if it includes LCOs as well as MSOs, but consolidation is bound to take place," the executive said.