Sushma introduces black boxes in TV morality debate

NOVEMBER 15: In her effort to rid television of obscene and objectionable programmes, Information and Broadcasting Minister Sushma Swaraj ...

NOVEMBER 15: In her effort to rid television of obscene and objectionable programmes, Information and Broadcasting Minister Sushma Swaraj has taken the morality debate right into people’s drawing rooms. She now sees addressable set-top boxes to be mounted on TVs as a possible solution to the problem.

The move would anyway be in keeping with her stance on the issue: soon after taking over the reins as Information and Broadcasting Ministry, Sushma Swaraj had said she would like the family to be its own watchdog. The minister now intends to take up the issue with the Consultative Committee on November 19. But questions are being raised as to whether addressable set-top boxes would help resolve the issue? More importantly, who will it benefit?

If cable operators are to be believed, all such measures would give pornography a legitimate platform. “There is no way the Government can stop cable operators from showing adult fare if subscribers themselves ask for it and decide to pay for the services. We can always show adult fare on our private video channel,” they say.

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There are others who contend that the move would help. "The addressable set-top boxes will come with a locking device that will help parents to block out programmes they do not want their children to see,” a cable operator said.

The morality debate aside, addressable set-top boxes will be a cheaper alternative to the more expensive Direct to Home TV mode. A subscriber will only have to shell out Rs 4,500 to get his addressibility box, and it will give him two or three-tiered services. The first would be a clutch of 30-40 free-to-air programmes (such as Doordarshan and other channels that are currently free). The second tier would be premium channels, comprising HBO, the Star channels’ suite, ZEE and others.

The platinum channels will comprise of sports channels, concentrating on an event-to-event basis. (In the West, the platinum channels also offer adult fare for the subscriber who will pay for it.)

While the first tier would be free, the subscriber would have to pay for the second and the third tier. Payments could vary between Rs 20 and Rs 30 per channel — adding up to nearly Rs 600 per month.

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Control would be in the hands of the cable operator who will not only have subscriber management software in place, but will also be in a position to lock and unscramble channels according to the subscriber’s choice. It would work both ways. The operator will then not be forced to pay the Broadcaster and the customer need not pay for channels he doesn’t want to see. The TRP ratings will perhaps get more realistic.

On the flip side, Swaraj will probably end up creating a market for DTH. Once people get hooked on to the set-top boxes, there is no reason why they will not opt for DTH in the long run. But the big question is whether people will pay Rs 4,500. Swaraj’s assurances that she will arrange for a finance mechanism for the subscriber will go down well, if she matches it with action.

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