India Broadband Forum

India Broadband

Subscribers of Zee’s Dish TV service has something to cheer about as the TDSAT has now ordered Rupert Murdoch-controlled Star to provide its channels to the platform within the next 15 days.

There is more good news for Zee as the TDSAT has told the Star Group to provide their channels to Dish TV at 50 per cent of the rates being charged for cable platform.

Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal said in its ruling: “We direct the respondent to make available all the channels to the petitioner at a rate not more than Rs 27 per subscriber exclusive of taxes.”

They also have rejected the Star’s demand that Zee should have at least 5,00,000 assured subscribers to get their channels. TDSAT added in its ruling: “The quantum of minimum guarantee sought from the petitioner (ASC Enterprises) by the respondent is much higher than the minimum guarantee sought from Tata Sky.”

It further said: “we feel that this term being imposed by the respondent is not justified and neither in accordance with regulation and amounts to denial of request of the petitioner for supply of signals. We, therefore, direct that signals be given to petitioner who will pay on the exact number of consumers, list of which will be submitted from the subscriber management system to the respondent every month.”