Home advantage

VISIONS of a life uninterrupted by cable operators demanding subscription fee for lousy transmission is sheer bliss. Direct telecast of 28 s...

VISIONS of a life uninterrupted by cable operators demanding subscription fee for lousy transmission is sheer bliss. Direct telecast of 28 state assemblies8212;not just the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha8212;in session or maybe even a live telecast of a mahila panchayat in progress. Movies on demand, a cricket match at the touch of a remote 8230; made possible by a tiny dish and a receiver. We should have got accustomed to the real picture way back in 1997 had it not been for a ban on Direct to Home DTH.

But it8217;s soon to be a reality if interested broadcasters step on the gas and bring all this and more to our doorsteps.

It may have taken three years8212;the ban was lifted in 20008212;for DTH to finally come home after the BJP-led NDA Government was finally convinced that Indian culture would not be ravaged by firangi programmes, but a quiet revolution is about to sweep SEC A socio-economic category people off their feet sending them scurrying for a small pizza-sized dish with a fat cheque in hand. SEC A, because DTH is going to be a pricey affair.

What sets it apart from the Conditional Access System CAS made mandatory by the government is technology and the price for which the services will be made available minus the cable operator. Absolutely the latest technology that will give not only a picture perfect image to the viewer but also make real choice available8212;if broadcasters choose to provide good content.

Of course, all this will come for a price, much higher than an ordinary cable. A consumer will be expected to dish out roughly Rs 6,000 for a dish and will have to fork out anything between Rs 400 and Rs 600 per month for watching the channels of his choice. Some broadcasters like Zee which got their letter of intent a few days ago and the Prasar Bharati Corporation broadcasters intend to start their services soon.

The Prasar Bharati Corporation will offer 30 channels free of cost with the viewer spending Rs 6,000 on the dish. While the corporation will be looking at the Finance Ministry to offer Rs 500 crores, DTH8217;s success will depend on the popular channels on board. Officials are currently negotiating with private players.

Zee also plans to offer some of its channels currently free to air on its DTH platform. While Zee is silent on content, it is a universal truth that unless DTH is really loaded with content in the West, DTH is driven through adult programming and niche programmes on gardening, cooking, premium sports and exclusive movie rights offering the same menu currently available to viewers may not be palatable on a premium thali.

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Star8217;s Space TV is being subject to minute scrutiny by the Government. Star is keen on DTH rather than CAS, because the broadcaster feels there will be a fall in viewership due to non-availability of set-top boxes in the country that will wipe off its advertisement revenues. On the other hand, the control over DTH will be exercised by Star.