News Broadcasting
Delhi MSOs blame politicians & media for CAS confusion
NEW DELHI: As an effigy of information and broadcasting minister Ravi Shankar Prasad was burnt by National Akali Dal (NAD) activists on 7 January, demanding a ban on ads on pay channels, later in the day, multi-system operators (MSOs) decried the allegations hurled against them by politicians, especially Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit, on CAS (conditional access system).
The MSOs said that confusion has been created by politicians and a section of the media. The MSOs yesterday sought to allay fears on CAS and reiterated that despite canards being spread on the issue, it is “actually a very simple process and all cable TV service provider have sufficient manpower to accommodate the desired number of consumers at any given point of time.”
Addressing a press conference yesterday, the representatives of the MSOs tried to clarify all the issues, including the fact that no effort had been speared to educate the consumer properly.
According to Siti Cable head Jawahar Goel, “We have distributed pamphlets, are running the information on CAS on our video channels, have set up call centres. What more is needed of us?”
Interestingly, Goel also said that he had information that the government is contemplating of announcing an interim regulator for the broadcast sector. Inquiries made by indiantelevision.com revealed that he wasn’t much off the mark and that the government actually is in the process of making some announcement in this regard very soon.
Earlier, I&B ministry officials had indicated that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) may be entrusted with the job of regulating the broadcast sector as an interim measure, a move that also has the support of the likes of Confederation of Indian Industry.
Coming back to the press conference called by the MSOs, it was attended by Siti Cable, Hathway Datacom’s S N Sharma, Trinity Network’s (formerly Spectranet) Arun Mohan and a representative from INCablenet, while independent cable ops hung around the venue.
At the press conference, a release in the form of questions and answers was distributed, which sought to answer all the points of criticisms that had been raised on CAS in South Delhi where the cable fraternity was implementing addressability buoyed by a Delhi high court order late last year.
For example, on the issue of set-top boxes and their standards, the MSOs have said that the service providers have introduced “high quality digital set-top box that comes with many value-added services.”
“Since the inception of CAS in Delhi, we have kept the interest of the consumer as our first priority and initiated several consumer friendly schemes for STBs, including provision for the same by way of a meager security deposit and nominal monthly rental,” the statement said. It then went to detail the various schemes that had been announced.
Rebutting allegations of non-availability of pay channels on an a la carte basis, the MSOs said the price of individual pay channels and bunch of different channels available as a package bouquet are available to the consumers.
“It would be wrong to say that we are only selling bouquets and not individual channels,” Goel said, pointing out that where agreements have not been signed they are unable to provide a fixed price for the pay channels.
Meanwhile, members of National Akali Dal – new entrants to the CAS drama – demonstrated against the government and demanded a ban on advertisement on pay channels and “reasonable” rate for cable TV services.
The NAD is of the opinion that the government should oversee implementation of CAS, which is the answer to the many ills afflicting the Indian media industry.
News Broadcasting
Times Network to air JVC Exit Poll across 5 regions on April 29
Four-hour broadcast spans states and Puducherry with data-led analysis
MUMBAI: Times Network is set to roll out what it calls one of its most expansive election programming efforts yet, culminating in the JVC Exit Poll on 29 April, with a multi-hour broadcast spanning key poll-bound regions.
The exit poll will air across Times Now and Times Now Navbharat, beginning at 5pm and 4pm respectively. Co-powered by Vedanta and Jindal Stainless, the programming aims to combine on-ground reportage with data-driven projections across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry.
The network has deployed over 50 journalists across these regions, gathering voter sentiment and local insights in the run-up to polling. The effort builds on its ongoing election formats such as Election Yatra and Election Premier League, which have tracked campaign narratives and community-level issues.
In parallel, Times Now Navbharat has focused on constituency-level reporting in West Bengal through its Jan Gan ka Mann series, capturing voter opinions across diverse segments.
The coverage has also featured interviews with prominent political leaders. Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala and V D Satheesan have appeared on the network’s election specials. From Tamil Nadu, voices including deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran, BJP leader K Annamalai and NTK’s Seeman have also featured in discussions.
On the day of the exit poll, the network’s primetime anchors, including Navika Kumar, Zakka Jacob and Sumit Awasthi, will lead the coverage. They will be joined by a panel of political analysts, psephologists and senior journalists offering real-time insights and interpretation of trends.
The programming will integrate grassroots reportage with analytics from the JVC Exit Poll, aiming to give viewers an early sense of electoral outcomes ahead of the official results on 4 May.
With its combined English and Hindi broadcast reach, Times Network is positioning this effort as a comprehensive look at voter sentiment, blending field reporting, data and debate to decode what could lie ahead when the final mandate is revealed.
