Cable operators to black out ESPN

NEW DELHI, September 11: With Siti Cable and the Cable Operators' Federation of India (COFI) having announced their boycott of the sports...

NEW DELHI, September 11: With Siti Cable and the Cable Operators’ Federation of India (COFI) having announced their boycott of the sports network, ESPN, many viewers in the Capital may not get to watch the Sahara Cup which begins in Toronto on Saturday.

COFI President Roop Sharma said she would be sending another memorandum to Minister for Information and Broadcasting Sushma Swaraj tomorrow for an urgent resolution to the pay channel conflict. With ESPN having raised the rate from Rs 5.70 per subscriber to Rs 7 per subscriber, Siticable General Manager K.C. Arora said they would not be showing the matches.

“This is the second time ESPN has increased the rate in six months and there is no guarantee it will not do so again soon,” he said. He said all Siti Cable operators in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Gujarat would be boycotting the channel.

However, in Delhi, some independent cable majors might show ESPN because of viewer demand, which is why Roop Sharma has called for a united action in consultation with the Ministry on pay channels. ESPN Managing Director R.K. Singh said, however, that the rate has been increased only after a gap of 15 months, and it was done only “considering the escalation in the cost of programming and production price revisions”.

Day after PM Modi’s visit to the town, Manipur’s Churachandpur sees violent protest

India7 hr ago

Protests in Manipur's Churachandpur turned violent as two men were arrested for damaging decorations for PM Modi's visit. The crowd demanded their release and attempted to storm the police station. The men were eventually released after a bail hearing. The incident occurred after a clash between locals and police on Thursday, but the situation had calmed down before Saturday's visit.

View all shorts

Live Blog