I&B Ministry
Fight between broadcasters & AIDCF members to end ?
Mumbai: The continuing conflict between cable operators and broadcasters was resolved on Thursday when members of the All India Digital Cable Federation (AIDCF) reached an agreement with the broadcasters to sign interconnection agreements without prejudice.
The development was confirmed by sources, who added that the three broadcasters – Disney Star India, Zee Entertainment, and Sony TV are expected to resume their channel signals to all cable operators soon.
The interconnection agreements may be revised based on the outcome of the court case, according to the resolution reached by the two parties.
What first seemed to be a dispute about tariffs between cable operators and broadcasters developed into a conflict between two corporate media organisations, with seven MSOS switching sides.
This follows the AIDCF’s fourth consecutive day of hearing failure to obtain an interim stay from the Kerala High Court.
On 18 February , Star India, Zee Entertainment, and Sony TV cut their channels to cable operators who declined to abide by the terms of the revised new pricing order (NTO 3.0) announced by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).
The NTO 3.0 came into force on February 1 and all the DTH operators and cable operators except 13 MSOS signed interconnection agreements with the broadcasters in order to ensure smooth telecast of all the channels to their subscribers.
The non-compliant MSOS moved to several high courts across the country under the aegis of the All India Digital Cable Federation (AIDCF).
While the high courts denied any interim stay on NTO 3.0, Kerala High Court is hearing the matter on daily basis and MSOS are leaving the battlefield one by one with each passing day.
Apparently the tussle was manufactured by Reliance using its three MSOS to hurt Star India before the IPL season
Kerala Communicators Cable Ltd (KCCL) & KVBL Managing Director Sureshkumar PP further stated that Jio and DTH platforms were taking advantage of this problem and implementing new techniques to grab their precious clients in a letter sent on Wednesday to Manoj Chhangani, Secretary General, AIDCF.
With more than 3.1 million subscribers, KCCL was a significant AIDCF member who on Wednesday switched sides and signed the interconnection agreement in accordance with NTO 3.0.
As a result, Siti Cable, its JV ICNCL, UCN Cable, Thamizhaga Cable TV, Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV, and KAL Cables, who were initially non-compliant, were preceded by KCCL as the seventh MSO to comply with NTO 3.0.
Six MSOS-GTPL Hathway, Hathway Digital, Den, In Cable owned by NXT Digital of Hinduja Group, Fastway Transmissions, and Asianet Digital were left in AIDCF’s battle with broadcasters.
Reliance-owned GTPL, Hathway, Hathway Digital, and Den control 1.8 crore homes, or 75% of the homes that do not receive Star India, Zee Entertainment, and Sony channels, out of the 2.5 crore homes that these six MSOS collectively reached.
I&B Ministry
Prasar Bharati sets EPG standards for DD Free Dish platform
New specs define 7-day guide, LCN mapping, and device compatibility.
MUMBAI: Your TV guide just got a backstage pass structured, scheduled, and far more in sync. Prasar Bharati has released detailed technical specifications for Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) services on DD Free Dish, laying down a standardised framework for how channels and programme information are organised and delivered. At the core of the update is a defined EPG data structure, covering genre-based categorisation, scheduling formats, and Logical Channel Numbering (LCN). The aim is simple: make navigation less guesswork and more guided experience across the platform’s over 40 million households.
The specifications also introduce a seven-day programme guide window for each channel, alongside clear rules for channel grouping and LCN mapping effectively deciding not just what you watch, but how easily you find it.
On the technical front, the document outlines requirements for Program Specific Information (PSI) and Service Information (SI), including descriptor usage across tables such as PAT, BAT and NIT. It further details service lists and network linkage parameters, giving OEMs and developers a clearer blueprint for integration.
Importantly, the framework is designed to work seamlessly with television sets equipped with in-built satellite tuners, enabling users to access DD Free Dish directly without additional hardware, an incremental but meaningful step towards simplifying access.
The platform will continue to operate on GSAT-15 transponders, using MPEG-4 compression and DVB-S2 transmission standards, ensuring continuity even as the interface evolves.
While largely technical, the move signals a broader push towards standardisation and user-friendly discovery in India’s free-to-air ecosystem because sometimes, the real upgrade isn’t what’s on screen, but how easily you get there.
