An unsolicited story that doesn''t end


New Delhi:
The scope and objective of this article is to place before the reader the recent ''goings-on'' on the conditional access system (CAS) front. After reading this piece, if the reader is more confused than before, well, then the noble purpose of fair and accurate reporting would stand vindicated.

The dramatis personae in this real-life soap opera consist of TV broadcasters like Star and Zee, multi-service operators (MSO) like InCablenet and Hathway who beam the signals to your homes and the ubiquitous cable operator. The cast is supported by the advertiser, the government and the politician.

Presently, a TV viewer with a cable connection gets to see a boutique of about 70 free and paid-for channels by paying Rs 125 to 250 per month. From 14 July 2003, the CAS regime will be introduced in the four metro cities of Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata. Here, the viewer will get to see about 30 channels free by paying Rs 72 per month. For the paid channels like Star Sports and ESPN the viewer will have to pay additional amounts, which could range from Rs 50 to Rs 85 per channel.

Under the existing system out of the 70 channels, about 10 are paid-for channels. Which means if each of these channels charge Rs 50 per month, the viewer has to pay a minimum of Rs 500 per month. But he gets away by paying just Rs 125-250 per month. A sweet deal, no doubt, but how does the industry sustain itself and why was it business-as-usual for the industry?

Well, the cable operator lies about the number of subscribers in his bouquet. If he has 100 customers, he says he has only 15 to 20 customers and pays only for them — whopping losses for the TV channels and MSOs (losses to the government in terms of entertainment and service tax), and whopping profits for the cable operators.

The plot thickens
Ethics and evasion apart, concerns about democracy and the right of choice are raised. Under the present system, the viewer has no choice but to see only what the cable operator offers him. Under CAS, we are told that the viewer has the choice to pay for only what he wants to see and not pay for what he does not want to see. Really?