I&B Ministry
LCO’s bear the brunt of this
Mumbai : The impasse between broadcasters and major cable operators escalated and on the 18t Feb, the three main broadcasters Star, Sony and Zee disconnected leaving everyone in a lurch.
The AIDCF members refused to sign the agreement with the broadcasters due to a steep hike in prices. As per them the prices can go up to 60 per cent , but the MSOs have not indicated a price rise to the LCO’s to communicate the same to the customers.
The LCO’s are in the front line as they serve 98 per cent of the customers directly and they have been facing irate customers for the past 6 days. As the customers are not aware of the rise in prices, their main query is what will be the revised prices? Second, if a customer has paid in advance, why my cable is cut without any prior notice and will I get my money back and lastly why are DTH and a few MSO’s have not been affected by this price hike?
The LCO’s have been sending emails to their respective MSO’s regarding the questions asked by their customers, but there has been no response from the MSO’s.
In Maharashtra, the prominent languages The Star Value Marathi pack was at Rs. 49/- and now with the hike in price it would go up to Rs. 62/-.
Even if this situation gets resolved in a day or two, the LCO’s are going to bear the brunt as they would have to give additional benefits for the days loss of services to their customers, to retain them whilst they have already paid MSO’s the full rate in advance.
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.
