GECs
Star India publishes RIO as per TRAI tariff order
MUMBAI: After Supreme Court of India gave the verdict in favour of Telecom Regulatory authority of India (TRAI) in the tariff order case, the petitioner Star India has published its reference interconnect offer (RIO) in accordance with the Tariff Order and Interconnect Regulations 2017.
As per the new rate card, the popular channels of the broadcaster including Star Plus, Star Jalsha, Maa TV, Asianet, Star Sports have been priced at Rs 19. Except for few HD channels, most of the channels under the category have been also priced at Rs 19.
Star India is also offering 28 bouquets with 4 different variations to cater to the diverse consumer segments based on their consumption. The variations of the bouquets are base, premium, HD-base, HD premium. While the base bouquet offers the best of entertainment, sports and movies channels in the customer’s language of choice, the premium bouquet includes English language offerings and channels with a differentiated content proposition on the top of Base offering.
The base and premium bouquets for SD channels in Hindi, Bengali and Marathi have been priced at Rs 49 and Rs 79 per month respectively while base and premium bouquets in other languages are priced at Rs 39 and Rs 69 respectively.
The base and premium HD bouquets in Hindi, Marathi, and Bengali have been priced at Rs 85 and Rs 120 per month. For other languages, the base and premium bouquets are priced at Rs 75 and Rs 110 a month.
The network has also revealed the name of four channels under sports and movies categories which will be launched by 31 December. The soon-to-be launched channels are Star Sports 1 Telugu, Star Sports 1 Kannada, Star Gold Thrills, Star Gold Thrills HD.
Recently, the two-judge bench of the apex court with Justices Rohinton Fali Nariman and Navin Sinha dismissed Star India’s appeal against Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) recent tariff order. The principal area of the argument by the broadcaster was that the pricing of the content cannot be regulated by TRAI as it comes under the Copyright Act. The verdict has clearly pronounced that the as TRAI Act is in public interest, it should prevail over the Copyright Act.
As the tug-of-war was going on for a while, all the other major broadcasters already published their RIOs in late August and early September.
GECs
Samsung TV Plus launches Kings of Comedy channel
New free FAST channel brings iconic Hindi comedy shows to millions of Samsung Smart TV owners.
MUMBAI: Samsung TV Plus has just turned up the laughter volume and it’s completely free. The leading free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) service in India has launched Kings of Comedy, a premium comedy channel featuring some of the country’s most beloved primetime shows. Available exclusively on Samsung TV Plus, the channel delivers back-to-back hits including Comedy Nights with Kapil, Khatra Khatra Khatra, and Comedy Nights Bachao, with no login or subscription required.
The launch marks a milestone for free streaming in India, offering audiences a dedicated comedy destination directly from their Samsung TV home screen. It arrives as Samsung TV Plus India celebrates its 5th anniversary, during which the service has grown its monthly active users by 42 per cent and more than doubled its total viewing hours. The platform now offers over 180 free channels across 14 languages.
Samsung TV Plus India general manager and head of business development Kunal Mehta said, “Comedy is the heartbeat of Hindi entertainment, and Kings of Comedy brings together the shows Indians already love, completely free on their Samsung TV. Our focus remains the same take the content people know and make it effortless to access.”
Globally, Samsung TV Plus has surpassed 100 million monthly active users across more than 4,500 channels, solidifying its position as one of the world’s leading free streaming services.
Kings of Comedy is now available on all compatible Samsung Smart TVs. For viewers seeking non-stop laughter without any cost, this new channel delivers a royal treat proving that sometimes the best entertainment really does come with no strings (or subscriptions) attached.
