(11 March 2008 9:00 pm)

NEW DELHI: Private direct-to-home (DTH) service provider Dish TV India has paid Rs 100 million as license fee to the government in 2006-07 while its close rival Tata Sky has had to part with Rs 88.5 million, the Information and Broadcasting minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi said.

As per Article 3 of the Schedule containing terms and conditions of License Agreement, a DTH licensee has to share 10 per cent of the gross revenue every year as license fee.

This indicates a four-fold rise in gross revenue for the oldest private DTH player in the country. But the pace of Tata Sky in its first year has been much faster than what Dish scored in the comparable period.

The other private licensed player, Sun Direct TV has started its services in December 2007, and its fees would be payable only in 2008, the minister said.

"Their license fee will be due at the end of the current financial year and is to be paid by the licensee within one month of the end of the financial year," the minister informed Lok Sabha in a written reply.

The minister also informed that only Doordarshan's DD Direct Plus is providing DTH services free of cost to the consumers.

"Private DTH service licensees are not providing their DTH service free of cost. Presently 42 TV channels are on DD Direct Plus, including 22 private channels and 20 DD channels."

DTH platform of Doordarshan is being made available to the private TV channels for telecasting free to air channels, subject to the payment of carriage free and suitability of such channels for DD Direct Plus platform.