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MUMBAI: The cable and broadcast regulator has rejected a proposal from the MSO
Alliance that would have required broadcasters to offer new pay channels only
as individual channels (a la carte). The Telecom Regulatory
Authority of India (Trai), in its order issued today, noted that "there have
been developments in the area of DTH in terms of likelihood of a competing operator
and the decision of the Delhi High Court on implementation of CAS in the Metros
of Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata." In the light of these developments Trai has
come to the conclusion that the proposal to provide for new pay channels only
as individual channel WOULD NOT lead to better consumer choice in the absence
of addressability at the consumer end. Trai has decided that the only amendment
that is required in the Tariff Order of 1 October 2004, is to provide for a framework
to benchmark the prices of new pay channels. Accordingly, Trai has
added a new section 3B to the 1 october 2004 order stating that in determining
the similarity of rates of similar channels while benchmarking the price of a
new pay channel, the factors such as the genre and language of the new pay channel
/converted FTA to pay channel, range of prices ascribed to the channel of similar
genre and language in the price of bouquets that existed on 26.12.2003, range
of prices of individual channels of similar
genre and language as existing
in CAS areas would be taken into account. | 
