I&B Ministry
Pricing major concern for consumers: NFO survey
NEW DELHI: How does the consumer perceive the conditional access regime? Is he ready for CAS? Questions, notwithstanding – the crux of the I&B Ministry-NFO Survey – monthly CAS payout is the over-riding concern for consumers.
Costs for the set-top-box and having to shell out separately for each channel – emerged ‘worrisome’ issues for many – at least in Kolkata and Delhi and to some extent in Mumbai. Chennai seemed least rattled.
It is likely that most in Chennai would switch-over to CAS as soon as implemented, the other three metros seemed a mixed lot. An equal number would convert to CAS, while others mentioned waiting one to maximum three months- before making the switch-over. Majority find CAS acceptable in principle, but would like to know more about it.
Interestingly, across metros most consumers would prefer purchasing a set-top-box as opposed to hiring one. The unanimous view across metros is that STB should be priced below Rs 2,000 or if at a monthly rental for an austere Rs 50 per month.
Regarding advantages of CAS – consumers were buoyant with the thought of paying only for channels they would like to watch-some terming it as “the right to choose” and the “freedom to choose” -manifested as transfer of power from the cable-operators hands to the consumer.
The survey was conducted across all socio-economic-classifications A, B, C, D and E, essentially among chief-wage-earners and housewives. Fieldwork was conducted in August 2003 and confined to areas ‘earmarked’ for phase 1 roll-out, which means Chennai was completely covered and for other metros restricted to areas as per the CAS notification. Methodology adopted was quantitative using a structured questionnaire with a mix of closed and open-end ones. NFO interviewed a total sample base of 2,000 respondents.
Majority of the households surveyed own single television sets. And close to 30 per cent Kolkata homes own a black and white television set. While most homes could actually receive close to one hundred channels on their TV sets – most actually received only close to 30 channels.
The survey also covered consumers’ view on how much they would like to pay for each channel – across genres. Consumers were also asked if they watched advertisements and if they would pay more if ads were curtailed. Interestingly, while most watched ads – consumers seemed least affected with advts being taken off the air there were not ready to incur any additional monetary load.
I&B Ministry
MIB cancels licences of three JioStar sports channels
Unchi Udann, Sports18 Hindi HD and Sports18 2HD permissions revoked on 20 February 2026; follows integration into Star Sports.
MUMBAI: JioStar’s sports channels just got benched by the regulator because when the ministry says “off air”, even the biggest players can’t argue with the whistle. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has revoked the uplinking and downlinking permissions for three non-news television channels operated by JioStar India Private Limited. The licences for Unchi Udann (previously Sports18 Hindi), Sports18 Hindi HD, and Sports18 2HD were cancelled on 20 February 2026, with the ministry citing a business decision by the broadcaster.
The move comes after JioStar integrated all Sports18 channels into the Star Sports Network, effective 15 March 2025, effectively consolidating its sports offerings under one umbrella. In India’s tightly regulated broadcast landscape, private satellite channels require MIB permissions for both uplinking (transmission to satellite) and downlinking (reception from satellite), making such cancellations a formal end to a channel’s on-air life.
This isn’t an isolated case. Earlier this month, on 12 February 2026, Living Foodz HD also surrendered its licence, with MIB noting the channel’s uplink and downlink had already been suspended since 13 November 2023 due to non-economic and financial viability issues.
For viewers, the change is largely seamless sports content continues uninterrupted on Star Sports channels. For JioStar, it’s a quiet pruning of legacy brands as the company sharpens focus on a unified sports portfolio in a crowded market. In a sector where spectrum and permissions are hard-won, losing them can feel like a red card but when it’s part of a deliberate strategy, it’s more tactical substitution than outright defeat.
