DTH
Unencrypted channels on DD Free Dish suspected of promoting privacy: A growing concern
Mumbai: Cable operators have alleged that unregistered local players are illegally taking unencrypted feed from DD Free Dish. Over the last few years there have been increasing discussions on the growing popularity of DD Free Dish, a free-to-air service being provided by Prasar Bharati. While consumers continue to enjoy the FTA service, cable operators are disturbed by the fact that DD Free Dish is providing unencrypted channels, which is “promoting piracy”.
According to big cable operators, Prasar Bharati, which is selling DD Free Dish slots to broadcasters at huge prices, is allegedly not complying with TRAI’s Telecommunication (Broadcasting and Cable) Services Standards of Quality of Service and Consumer Protection (Addressable Systems) Regulations, 2017 (Quality of Service Regulations) which makes it mandatory to provide encrypted channels.
The AIDCF recently moved the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) against DD Free Dish for allegedly not abiding by TRAI’s regulation that requires the channels to be provided in an encrypted manner. TDSAT has issued notice to Prasar Bharati and other respondents in the matter which will now be heard next month.
Industry experts say while all the multiple system operators (MSOs) have implemented DAS in phase wise manner from 2012 to 2016, thereby helping in curbing piracy, DD Free Dish is still providing its signals in non-encrypted mode.
MSOs operate through their deployed cable network, wherein the consumer/subscriber is provided encrypted signals of television channels through a set-top box deployed at their premises. This, say experts, has also led to a non-level playing field for cable operators with DD Free Dish.
DTH Operator
JC Flowers withdraws NCLT plea against Dish TV over EGM demand
Move eases pressure on DTH firm as long-running shareholder dispute cools
MUMBAI: In a breather for Dish TV India, JC Flowers Asset Reconstruction has withdrawn its petition before the National Company Law Tribunal seeking directions to convene an extraordinary general meeting.
The development was disclosed by Dish TV in a regulatory filing, confirming that the petitioner chose to withdraw the case during a hearing at the Mumbai bench of the tribunal. A detailed order from the bench is still awaited.
The petition, originally filed under Sections 98 to 100 of the Companies Act, 2013, sought to push for an extraordinary general meeting to address governance issues at the company. The case had its roots in a prolonged shareholder tussle dating back to 2021, when Yes Bank, then the largest shareholder, was at odds with the promoter group led by Subhash Chandra over board reconstitution.
JC Flowers had stepped into the picture as an assignee of Yes Bank’s stressed assets, effectively continuing the legal push initiated earlier. The withdrawal now signals a pause, if not a closure, to that chapter of dispute.
While the reasons behind the withdrawal have not been formally detailed, the move reduces immediate legal pressure on Dish TV, which has been navigating both operational and regulatory challenges in recent years.
For now, the focus shifts back to the company’s business fundamentals, even as the legal dust settles, at least temporarily, on one of its more closely watched shareholder battles.
