News Broadcasting
Delhi cable ops vow to enforce CAS from 15 Dec.
NEW DELHI: Conditional access system, like Banquo’s ghost, just refuses to go away. Just when everybody, including the government, thought it has been given a quiet burial, the issue has resurfaced with the cable industry, at least in Delhi, in a militant mood.
In a meeting of the mutli-system operators (MSOs) and some independent cable operators here today to discuss the future course of action, it was “unanimously decided” that from 14 December midnight all pay channels would be routed through set-top boxes (STBs). This was disclosed by a representatives of an MSO after the 120-minute conclave.
Buoyed by the Delhi High Court order that quashed denotification of the capital from the CAS rollout map, the cable industry is also thinking on the lines that it should factor in the retaining cost of inventory when boxes start to be sold again in the Capital.
Pointing out that the MSOs incurred some cost in holding on to the inventory (STBs) for a few months, Zee Telefilms vice-chairman and head of Siti Cable, Jawahar Goel, today told indiantelevision.com, “The boxes are now likely to cost approximately Rs 4,000 to a consumer.”
This would include the activation cost, plus other sundry expenses incurred by the cable operators like paying eight per cent service tax to the government.
Today’s meeting, held at Essel House (headquarters of Siti Cable in Delhi), was attended by representatives of MSOs like INCableNet, Hathway Datacom, Siti Cable and some independent operators.
The strategy being followed by the cable operators in the south zone of Delhi is to start educating the cable subscribers about CAS and the need for boxes, before the cable industry starts routing all pay channels through boxes from midnight of 14 December.
“Though we would not be advertising in newspapers, but scrolls and CAS-related information would start airing on the local cable operators’ video channels,” Cable Networks Association’s Rakesh Dutta said.
Dutta, along with Siti Cable and two other individuals, had filed a case against the government on denotifying Delhi.
According to Dutta, “We don’t need the government’s mediation any more as CAS in Delhi would decide whether we are really under-declaring our base or the pay channels are over-charging for their services.”
Roop Sharma, a non-cable operator person running a cable organisation (Cable Operators’ Federation of India), feels that nobody can stop CAS from becoming reality. (Though, it’d be interesting to know what transpired when Sharma bumped into senior Star India executives at a History Channel party last evening and, reportedly, discussed CAS.)
Still, some issues need to be ironed out.
Not everybody in Delhi’s south zone may end up getting a digital set-top box, if at all they opted for it. Dutta says that independent cable operators like him cannot afford digital boxes and would go for analog STBs, leaving them open to charges that such boxes can be hacked into.
Then comes the issue of prices of pay channels. The MSOs and broadcasters have not yet started negotiations for Delhi. Even today, Siti Cable’s Goel pointed out that it has not yet been finalised at what prices pay channels would be offered to cable subscribers in South Delhi area.
News Broadcasting
BBC to cut up to 2,000 jobs in biggest overhaul in 15 years
Cost pressures and leadership change drive major workforce reduction plan
LONDON: BBC has unveiled plans to cut up to 2,000 jobs, roughly 10 per cent of its global workforce, in what marks its biggest downsizing in 15 years.
The announcement was made during an all-staff meeting led by interim director-general Rhodri Talfan Davies, as the broadcaster moves to tackle mounting financial pressures and reshape its operations.
Between 1,800 and 2,000 roles are expected to be eliminated from a workforce of around 21,500. The cuts form part of a broader plan to save £500 million over the next two years, aimed at offsetting rising costs, stagnating licence fee income and weaker commercial revenues.
In a communication to staff, BBC interim director-general Rhodri Talfan Davies said, “I know this creates real uncertainty, but we wanted to be open about the challenge,” acknowledging the impact the move would have across the organisation.
The restructuring comes at a time of leadership transition. Former director-general Tim Davie stepped down earlier this month, with Matt Brittin, a former Google executive, set to take over the role on May 18, 2026.
While some cost-cutting measures are being implemented immediately, the majority of the structural changes are expected to roll out over the next few years, with full savings targeted by the 2027–2028 financial year.
The broadcaster had earlier signalled its intent to reduce its cost base by around 10 per cent over a three-year period, warning of “difficult choices” as it adapts to shifting economic realities and audience expectations.
With operating costs hovering around £6 billion annually, the BBC’s latest move underscores the scale of the financial challenge it faces, as it balances public service commitments with the need for long-term sustainability in an increasingly competitive media landscape.
