News Broadcasting
No final solution on CAS rollout; call for channel MRP
NEW DELHI: CAS or conditional access system is near and still so far.
While multi system operators (MSOs) and a section of independent cable operators today demanded that broadcasters come out with subscription rates for individual channels, instead of for a bouquet of channels, for smooth implementation of CAS in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, pay broadcasters said they would consider the option.
At a time when a demand was also made that the government try put a maximum retail price (MRP) on pay channels, the information and broadcasting ministry said that it would wait for detailed feedback before making such a move.
A day-long interaction to sort out various issues involved with implementation of CAS (as mandated by a Delhi court) saw stakeholders, including MSOs, cable operators, broadcasters, sector regulator Trai and consumer organisations present their stand to the government.
According to a representative of a stakeholder present during the meeting, which lasted over eight hours, the discussions were “positive”, but marred by “contradictory opinions from the cable industry”.
Even as a demand from a section of the cable industry that pay broadcasters come out with a la carte prices for smooth rollout of CAS was made, certain last mile cable operators from Mumbai sounded skeptical on addressability.
Some of the broadcasters raised objections to the demand on a la carte pricing saying TV channels, if priced on individually, would be expensive compared to the bouquet cost.
And, while most participants in the meeting, called by the government, felt that CAS is inevitability and should be rolled out, some consumer organizations felt that addressability could be introduced as long as it didn’t put additional burden on the consumers.
Rather, the consumer organisations went to the extent of saying that introduction of CAS should not result in increase of price of cable services from the present, which range anywhere between Rs 100 to Rs 500, depending on the type of deals that have been struck with the local cable operators.
According to some people who attended the meeting, at one point of time the government representative — I&B secretary SK Arora — chastised the cable industry for indulging in double-speak on introduction of CAS vis-à-vis carriage fee.
However, the government has convened a meeting on Friday again to take stock of the feedback from the industry stakeholders when the sequence of the rollout of CAS is likely to be given a final shape. Provided the government doesn’t go in for an appeal against the Delhi High Court order that is.
Those who attended the meeting included Trai’s broadcast in-charge Rakesh Kacker, Zee’s Jawahar Goel, Roop Sharma from Cable Operators Federation of India, independent cable ops from Delhi and Mumbai like Vikki Chowdhry and MSO Alliance’s Ashok Mansukhani, apart from representatives from the IBF, Star, Sony and consumer organisations.
“We also informed the government that CAS was being implemented in the notified areas and we were giving attractive schemes to the consumers for possession of set-top boxes (STBs),” Press Trust of India quoted Roop Sharma as saying. Chowdhry went to the extent of saying that the pay broadcasters were “clearly on the back foot” in the meeting.
News Broadcasting
Business Today MindRush returns to Mumbai, spotlight on India’s edge in a fractured world
Policymakers and corporate heavyweights gather to map supply chains, energy security and markets
MUMBAI: As fault lines widen across global trade and geopolitics, Business Today is doubling down on India’s moment. The 14th edition of Business Today MindRush & Best CEOs Awards lands in Mumbai on March 28, pitching India’s strategic edge at the centre of a fragmenting world.
The day-long summit, presented by PwC, will bring together a tight mix of policymakers, industry leaders and market voices to decode shifting supply chains, maritime strategy, defence priorities, energy security and capital markets—sectors now deeply entangled with geopolitics.
M Nagaraju, secretary, department of financial services, ministry of finance, will headline the event, setting the tone for discussions that aim to track how India is repositioning itself amid disrupted trade routes and volatile energy dynamics.
The speaker slate reads like a cross-section of India Inc’s command centre. Krishna Swaminathan will zero in on sea lanes and supply chains, while Prashant Ruia is set to push the case for self-reliance in oil and gas. Ashish Chauhan will weigh in on capital markets at a pivotal juncture, as a panel featuring Vibha Padalkar, Sanjiv Mehta, Amish Mehta and Sanjeev Krishan debates navigating economic uncertainty.
Leadership under pressure will be another running theme. Madhavkrishna Singhania, Sharvil Patel, Karan Bhagat and Anurag Choudhary will unpack how businesses are steering through disruption. Arun Alagappan will turn the spotlight on fertilisers, Arundhati Bhattacharya will reflect on leadership transitions, while Anish Shah and S Vellayan will outline blueprints for building future-ready conglomerates.
The event will close with Aroon Purie setting the broader editorial lens, before the Best CEOs Awards recognise standout corporate leadership across sectors.
At a time when the global order looks increasingly splintered, MindRush 2026 is positioning itself as more than a conference—it is a signal that India intends not just to navigate the churn, but to shape it.
