DTH
The DTH Wannabes
| Star TV | Had set up ISKyB with a team of 300. When government decided to ban it, it hung on to the team for nearly two years before dismantling it. It laid off some employees, relocated others. But it still has the SMS in place in Delhi; lost its DTH chief recently. Will also be hemmed in by foriegn ownership restrictions. Has a presence in cable TV, broadcasting. Likely to got with earlier DTH partner Pramod Mittal as Indian ally. |
| Zee TV | Likely player.The Zee Network has invested in Canal Plus technology. Has a pay bouquet. But is presently cash strapped. Could face problems as it is in cable TV, broadcasting, and is also owned 70 per cent plus through foreign (read non-resident Indian Subhash Chandra) equity. |
| Modi Enrtertainment | Was a potential player in DTH, having signed with Loral. Has broadband plans and experience with pay TV distribution. Is probably the only player who is not a broadcaster or in cable; is Indian owned and does not have any foriegn equity ownership. Is well-positioned to launch a platform |
| C. Sivasankaran | Had options on Ku-band transponders on ST-I band satellite. Planned to become an education and infotainment player via DTH. Is in the process of launching broadband from November. Likely player. Has no problems of foreign ownership; is also loaded with cash. |
| Doordarshan | Had signed a two year contract with Measat. Lobbied for DD as platform operator. Has recently launched two pay channels. It does not have experience with DTH, with all senior officials including Rathikant Basu, RK Singh, Urmila Gupta, Ashok Mansukhani who were involved with the Measat negotiations having left. Is a likely player. |
| HFCL | Has come out from nowhere to be a force to reckon with in telephony, television, and hardware. Potentially could get into DTH. Also has a partnership with Ozzie media and leisure baron Kerry Packer. Manufactures television hardware. |
| Reliance | Is extremely ambitious about convergence. Has deep pockets. Is setting up a broadband backbone and is looking at investing in television programming. Would like to have other options for bandwidth; hence could go for DTH. Is television neutral as it is not a broadcaster nor in cable TV. Is also Indian owned. |
DTH
TDSAT adjourns Tata Play–Culver Max dispute to 30 March
Row dates to May 2025 after Tata Play dropped 25 Culver Max channels
NEW DELHI: The long-running broadcast carriage dispute between Tata Play and Culver Max Entertainment was on Friday adjourned to 30 March after proceedings before the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal were disrupted by technical difficulties.
The bench, led by chairperson justice Dhirubhai Naranbhai Patel with member Sanjeev Banzal, briefly took up the matter before deferring it. The adjournment was also recorded at the petitioner’s request.
The commercial row dates back to May 2025, when Tata Play dropped 25 Culver Max channels from its direct-to-home packs, citing contractual disagreements. Culver Max alleged the move breached both the interconnection agreement and the regulatory framework laid down by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, prompting it to approach the tribunal.
On 21 May, 2025, Culver Max issued a disconnection notice claiming unpaid subscription dues of Rs 128.42 crore for services up to 31 March, 2025. Tata Play disputed the demand, arguing that the dues were contested and that disconnection would violate regulatory norms.
In an interim order on 27 May, 2025, the tribunal stayed the proposed disconnection, subject to Tata Play depositing Rs 40 crore. The amount was paid on 3 June, ensuring continued carriage of the channels. The tribunal later restrained the broadcaster from disrupting services, recording Tata Play’s submission that channels remained available on an a la carte basis and that only bouquet composition had changed.
Culver Max subsequently sought recall of the interim relief, alleging misstatements by the DTH operator. It placed a statement of accounts before the tribunal, pegging total dues at Rs 124.87 crore, including invoices raised up to October 2025, and claimed more than Rs 63 crore remained unpaid even after adjustments.
Tata Play countered that invoices from June to September 2025 had been settled and that October invoices were not yet due under contractual timelines, characterising remaining differences as routine reconciliation issues.
The tribunal has since allowed Culver Max, formerly known as Sony Pictures Networks India, to withdraw its audit petition after placing the subscriber audit report on record, and dismissed the recall plea.
With Friday’s hearing cut short, the dispute over carriage fees, dues and bouquet structuring will now return to the tribunal on 30 March, prolonging one of the sector’s most closely watched broadcaster–DTH stand-offs.
