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 registrations of 114 MSOs in compliance crackdown
Total active MSOs now 756 after 1,159 exits since early 2025.
MUMBAI- MIB just pulled the plug on 114 more cable operators because when the regulator says “cut the cord,” it really means cut the cord. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has cancelled the registrations of 114 multi-system operators (MSOs) for non-compliance, denial of security clearance and suppression of critical information, continuing its year-long clean-up of India’s cable distribution ecosystem.
As of 28 February 2026, the total number of registered MSOs has fallen to 756 after 1,159 operators exited the market through cancellations, voluntary surrenders or lapsed licences. This follows a similar exercise in the previous year when, as of 31 March 2025, around 1,045 registrations had expired, been surrendered or cancelled, bringing the count down from higher levels to 845 before the latest round.
The sustained contraction signals a structural shift toward a more organised, compliant sector. Regulatory scrutiny has intensified on operational transparency, adherence to licensing norms and security clearances, effectively weeding out smaller or non-compliant players.
Industry observers view the moves as a deliberate push toward consolidation, where only operators meeting strict standards remain active. Additional rejections of over 14 applications last year on grounds such as non-payment of dues and suppression of information further underscore the ministry’s stricter stance.
In India’s cable TV landscape, where channels once multiplied faster than viewers could count them, MIB is quietly rewiring the entire grid, one cancellation at a time until only the cleanest signals survive.
