| NEW
DELHI : Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni today reiterated that
no television channel had withdrawn from DD Direct Plus, the country’s only
free-to-air direct-to-home service. Answering
a question in Parliament, Soni said DD Direct Plus signals were available in the
entire country except the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. DD
Direct Plus carries 46 TV channels, apart from 21 radio channels of All India
Radio. The TV channels include 20 Doordarshan channels.
The
bouquet includes three foreign channels: Japan’s NHK TV, Korean Broadcasting
Corporation and Deutsche Welle. Around ten more foreign channels are expected
to join soon. Expressing
confidence that the platform would be carrying around 100 channels, DD sources
told indiantelevision.com that this had become possible by lowering the annual
carriage fee that broadcasters have to pay. The carriage fee for all private FTA
channels has been brought down from Rs 10 million to Rs 2.5 million along with
a service tax of Rs 300,000. However, foreign broadcasters have to pay a carriage
fee of Rs 5 million. The
imposition of the carriage fee of Rs 10 million had resulted in almost all news
and many general entertainment channels quitting the platform. At present, the
only private Indian news channel on the platform is Total TV. The
first DTH platform to be launched in the country, DD Direct had initially been
launched by offering free carriage to different FTA channels. As a result, almost
all the news channels had come on the platform. But many left when the carriage
fee was fixed at Rs 10 million. However,
the sources said new steps were being taken to get back the channels and also
invite newer FTA channels to join the platform. The reduction of the fee in mid-2007
had only been the first step, they added. The
sources said negotiations were at an advanced stage with Tara Bangla. The platform
had recently seen the entry of music channels like B4U and 9XM, and some south
Indian TV channels. The private channels include five music channels and two spiritual
channels. Being
an FTA channel, DD Direct only has a one-time charge for dish antennae, set top
box and installation ranging between Rs 4,000 to Rs 8,000 depending on the brand
chosen by the consumer.
India has five other DTH service providers – Dish TV, TATA Sky, Reliance
Big TV, Sun Direct and Airtel Digital TV. | 
