Under intense pressure to make conditional access system consumer-friendly, the government said on Tuesday that 60-70 free-to-air channels may be available for Rs 72 even as it ruled out any delay in its July 15 implementation in the four metros.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, who had parleys with Bharatiya Janata Party president Venkaiah Naidu as well as multi-system operators, also estimated that the entire package of free-to-air channels and pay channels was likely to cost a consumer around Rs 200.
"The MSOs have assured their cooperation. We have an assurance from broadcasters that they will announce their pay channel rates by June 15 (the earlier deadline was June 10)," he told reporters.
To a question if the government planned an amendment to ensure 60-70 channels are available for Rs 72, Prasad said: "When a minister says something it is on some basis."
The government has notified that at least 30 free-to-air channels be made available in the basic tier for Rs 72, plus taxes.
Giving out more incentives, Prasad said the MSOs would offer set-top boxes, required to view pay channels, at a rental of Rs 30 per month and easy deposit.
He said special officers will be deputed to monitor its implementation. "Transparency will be ensured. We will work to make CAS people-friendly and successful."
Convinced that CAS was in 'national interest,' the minister compared it with mobile phones and said: "Did anyone imagine that incoming calls would go free one day. Market forces will come into play."
He expressed the hope that more pay channels will go free-to-air.
Asked about availability of set-top boxes, he said it was estimated that 25 per cent of the 5.7 million cable consumers in the four metros were likely to go for it by July 15 and 2.5 million set-top boxes have been organised so far.
I&B ministry sources said the government had written to the broadcasters earlier giving them a June 10 deadline to announce rates of pay channels and declare whether any of the pay channels would go free-to-air.
The MSOs had an unscheduled meeting with the minister immediately after over a two-hour discussion on CAS with ministry officials.
Sources said the government may also fix a ceiling on discounts offered by channels and did not rule out going in for an amendment to ensure this although it favoured a consensus on it.
Coming out of the meeting with ministry officials,
representatives of cable operators' associations Roop Sharma and Vikki Chaudhury told reporters they had decided to give a minimum of 45 free-to-air channels in the basic tier.
They also said they would not block any channel and give the consumers the choice.
"We want the broadcasters to declare rates of pay channels. Unless they do so who will buy the set-top box?" they said.
The MSOs will be coming out with an awareness campaign on CAS to "counter the anti-CAS propaganda," they said.
They also visualise a scenario where pay channels with advertisements may be forced to go free-to-air. However, ministry sources said as of now the broadcasters have said they have no plans to do so.
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