Wednesday, Dec 03, 2003
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Tamil Nadu-Chennai
By Sudhish Kamath
DishTV, run by the New Era Entertainment Network and promoted by the ZEE TV and the ESSEL group, said it received over 600 dealer applications and rejected about 400 that did not meet their requirements. About 400 homes in the State already purchased the DTH sets. "We have not been aggressive in sales. We have been busy appointing our dealers and getting service centres in place," said the spokesman. Explaining the merits of the system, he said the service would ensure transparency in transactions between service providers and consumers. Unlike the cable TV system, where transactions went largely unaccounted for, the dealers would provide monthly receipts under the DTH service. The application form, provided prior to the purchase of the set-up, would spell out the terms and conditions applicable to subscribers. The basic tier of 38 channels (likely to comprise channels from the ZEE and Raj boquets, Jaya TV, BBC World, CNN, CNBC India and Cartoon Network) would cost the subscriber Rs. 110 a month inclusive of taxes. The channels were now available even on the cable TV platform. The subscribers could then opt for the `Premium bouquet' of five exclusive channels — those which were not available on the cable TV platform and hence could not be accessed without DTH. Premier Cinema (latest Hindi block busters), Golden Cinema (Hindi classics), Action Cinema (Hindi Action), FX (English Action) and Smile TV (Hindi comedy) would cost the subscriber Rs. 55.
More channels
"We will be introducing more exclusive DTH channels from all around the world. Right now, we have a capacity of only 48 channels on the satellite provided. The Government has sanctioned our second satellite and we will be able to provide another 48 channels in three to six months," the spokesman said. The subscribers, thereon, could choose channels to watch and pay only for those. They could also choose to switch off temporarily for a few months and not pay any monthly subscription. However, there would be a nominal recharge fee at the time of reconnection. Pay-per-view Internet and Video-on-demand services would be available on the DTH platform by mid of next year. "For pay-per-view, subscribers will have to buy extra equipment like a keyboard and another card for browsing the Internet. And for video-on-demand, they can choose from our library of movies in different languages and order. They then pay for it and the movie will be screened only on their TV."
Nationwide service
DTH also provides for portability, unlike cable TV where elaborate arrangements need to be made on transferring connections. "The subscriber can pack his bags, take his dish antenna, set-top box and TV, and go to another city or state. He will still continue to avail himself of our services," the DishTV representative said. Subscribers from all over the country could dial the Noida call centre for registering complaints (charged at local call rates) and local service centres in case of faulty dish antenna or set-top boxes. Asked if its set-top box would be compatible with other DTH providers (when they emerge), the company representative said the box was `open architecture' in design — it would be compatible with more than one service provider. "It is up to the Government to ensure that the other players adopt the same technology," he said.
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