DTH
Sun Direct adds Sun NXT free with DTH subscription
MUMBAI: Sun Direct is finding ways to hold on to its subscriber base amidst the hordes of consolidation and shutdowns happening in the industry. Strengthening its hold in the South, which forms the largest chunk of its territory, it has announced a free membership of its video-on-demand (VOD) platform Sun NXT for active Cinema Plus, Mega Pack and World Pack subscribers.
The subscription-based VOD platform offers three plans–monthly for Rs 50, quarterly for Rs 130 and annually for Rs 490. The first 30 days constitute the free trial period after which the payment kicks in. Offline download and viewing are available in the app as well.
Sun TV Network’s Sun NXT, which was launched in mid 2017, offers over 50,000 hours of live TV content, movies, originals, kid’s content, music across four South Indian languages–Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. It also streams movies from Kollywood, Tollywood, Mollywood and Sandalwood.
Sun NXT being a screen-agnostic platform is also available on Smart TVs and streaming devices like Amazon Fire TV, Google Chromecast, Apple TV etc.
Sun Direct has six packs, which include Mega Pack with 204+ channels, Tamil Super Value with 179+ channels, Tamil Cinema + Sports with 174+ sports, Tamil World Pack with 172+ channels, Tamil Value with 128+ channels and Tamil Economy Pack with 82+ channels, for one month, three months, six months and twelve months. Sun Direct packages start from Rs 1499 (Tamil Economy Pack for 96 months) and go up to Rs 5290 (Mega Pack for 12 months).
Also Read: Regional viewers ‘catch-up’ Sun TV’s new VoD
DTH
TDSAT adjourns Tata Play–Culver Max dispute to 30 March
Row dates to May 2025 after Tata Play dropped 25 Culver Max channels
NEW DELHI: The long-running broadcast carriage dispute between Tata Play and Culver Max Entertainment was on Friday adjourned to 30 March after proceedings before the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal were disrupted by technical difficulties.
The bench, led by chairperson justice Dhirubhai Naranbhai Patel with member Sanjeev Banzal, briefly took up the matter before deferring it. The adjournment was also recorded at the petitioner’s request.
The commercial row dates back to May 2025, when Tata Play dropped 25 Culver Max channels from its direct-to-home packs, citing contractual disagreements. Culver Max alleged the move breached both the interconnection agreement and the regulatory framework laid down by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, prompting it to approach the tribunal.
On 21 May, 2025, Culver Max issued a disconnection notice claiming unpaid subscription dues of Rs 128.42 crore for services up to 31 March, 2025. Tata Play disputed the demand, arguing that the dues were contested and that disconnection would violate regulatory norms.
In an interim order on 27 May, 2025, the tribunal stayed the proposed disconnection, subject to Tata Play depositing Rs 40 crore. The amount was paid on 3 June, ensuring continued carriage of the channels. The tribunal later restrained the broadcaster from disrupting services, recording Tata Play’s submission that channels remained available on an a la carte basis and that only bouquet composition had changed.
Culver Max subsequently sought recall of the interim relief, alleging misstatements by the DTH operator. It placed a statement of accounts before the tribunal, pegging total dues at Rs 124.87 crore, including invoices raised up to October 2025, and claimed more than Rs 63 crore remained unpaid even after adjustments.
Tata Play countered that invoices from June to September 2025 had been settled and that October invoices were not yet due under contractual timelines, characterising remaining differences as routine reconciliation issues.
The tribunal has since allowed Culver Max, formerly known as Sony Pictures Networks India, to withdraw its audit petition after placing the subscriber audit report on record, and dismissed the recall plea.
With Friday’s hearing cut short, the dispute over carriage fees, dues and bouquet structuring will now return to the tribunal on 30 March, prolonging one of the sector’s most closely watched broadcaster–DTH stand-offs.
