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Trai reviews cable TV tariff in Cas areas
NEW DELHI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) is reviewing the tariff for cable TV service in Cas (conditional access system) notified areas.
The areas under review are: tariff for basic service tier, retail price for a pay channel, tariff options for suplly of set-top boxes (STBs) and revenue share arrangement between service providers.
Trai had earlier fixed the current cap on maximum retail price of pay channels at Rs 5.35 (excluding taxes). Two rental schemes on STBs were also mandated by the sector regulator for cable TV operators to offer to their subscribers – Rs 34 a month (on a security deposit of Rs 200) and Rs 22 (on a deposit of Rs 750).
The review is significant as broadcasters have complained that the price freeze on their pay channels is too low for them to recover their high-cost programming investments due to stiff competition in the sector.
The freeing of prices will also help the multi-system operators to up their revenues, industry observers said.
Trai has asked comments from the stakeholders on whether the use of STBs should be mandated on Cas notified areas for viewing both free-to-air (FTA) and pay channels.
Currently, cable TV subscribers do not have to use a STB if they only want the FTA channels.
Trai has also sought the views of stakeholders on whether there should be only two broad tariff regulatory frameworks, one for analogue non-addressable (non-Cas) and another for digital addressable systems, and whether such a framework should be the same for wholesale and retail.
In a consultation paper released today on ‘Tariff for Cable TV services in Cas notified Areas‘, Trai has also asked what method should be used to regulate the tariff ceilings for basic service tier in Cas notified areas.
Trai has asked the stakeholders to submit their views by 5 May. Counter comments, if any, to the comments received may be sent to Trai by 12 May.
Trai also wants to know which method should be used to regulate the retail tariff for pay channels in Cas notified areas: providing periodic inflation linked adjustment in the present ceiling of Rs 5.35 (excluding taxes) per pay channel per subscriber per month, single or different ceilings across all genres, or forbearance.
Should a relation between a-la-carte and bouquet price be prescribed to prevent perverse pricing, Trai asks, wanting to know whether it should be different for broadcaster and MSO.
It has also sought views on how the retail tariff for advertisement free channels should be regulated in Cas notified areas and whether it should be different from other pay channels.
Trai asks how the retail tariff should be regulated in Cas notified areas for niche channels which require specialised STBs.
Should the tariff for supply of STB be regulated, left to market forces, or should the present system continue, asks Trai.
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Inshorts Group chief Deepit Purkayastha joins IAB video council for Southeast Asia and India
The co-founder and chief executive of the short-form content platform has been inducted into the IAB SEA+India Video Council, giving India a stronger voice in shaping digital video frameworks
NOIDA: India has long been the world’s most chaotic, multilingual and mobile-first digital market. Now, one of its most prominent short-video executives is getting a seat at the table where the rules are written.
Deepit Purkayastha, co-founder and chief executive of Inshorts Group, has been selected as a member of the IAB SEA+India Video Council for 2026. Run by the Interactive Advertising Bureau, the council brings together senior leaders from Southeast Asia and India to shape standards, best practices and measurement frameworks for the fast-evolving video and digital advertising ecosystem.
The timing is pointed. According to the IAMAI-Kantar Internet in India Report 2025, over 588 million Indians are now consuming short-video content, with growth increasingly driven by rural and non-metro audiences. India’s active internet user base has crossed 950 million, with 57 per cent of users now coming from rural markets. Yet the frameworks that govern how video consumption is measured and monetised were largely designed for single-language, Western markets and have struggled to keep pace with the scale, diversity and complexity of India’s digital landscape.
Purkayastha is no stranger to these debates. He already serves on the AI Council at Marketing and Media Alliance India and as co-chair of the Digital Entertainment Committee at the Internet and Mobile Association of India. His induction into the IAB SEA+India Video Council extends that influence into the global video standards arena.
Inshorts Group sits squarely at the intersection of these forces. Its flagship product, Inshorts, India’s highest-rated short news app, reaches 12 million active users with 60-word news summaries. Its sister platform, Public App, reaches 80 million monthly active users across more than 700 districts and 12 languages, serving communities that most global platforms barely register.
Purkayastha said the opportunity was about building something more representative. “India today sits at the centre of the global video ecosystem, but the frameworks that define how value is created and measured have not always kept pace with the realities of our market,” he said. “Being part of the IAB SEA+India Video Council is an opportunity to contribute to a more representative and future-ready approach, one that accounts for diversity in language, context, and user intent.”
As a council member, Purkayastha will contribute to shaping regional standards across video advertising, measurement and platform governance, with a focus on frameworks that are native to India’s multilingual, mobile-first ecosystem rather than imported from global benchmarks designed elsewhere.
For years, India has been content to play by rules written for other markets. Purkayastha’s induction is a signal that it is done waiting to be consulted and ready to start writing them.
