The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : `Direct-to-Home' TV channels to be launched soon

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 30, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

`Direct-to-Home' TV channels to be launched soon

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, JULY 29. In just a few days from now, television viewers can have an opportunity to choose from a bouquet of 40 channels, thanks to a `Direct-to-Home' (DTH) initiative by the Prasar Bharati.

This will be made possible through a dish antenna and `set-top box' available in the open market for about Rs. 3,000.

14 DD channels

The bouquet will include 14 `Free-to-Air' channels of the Doordarshan Kendra (DDK) and three educational channels run by the Human Resources Development Ministry.

The facility will be inaugurated in three weeks time, said S. Jaipal Reddy, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting.

The Union Minister said the dream of DTH in India would be realised by Ku Band, which had four transponders, each with the capacity of beaming 10 channels.

Out of the 40, the remaining 23 channels will be from the private sector.

As of now 12 channels, including Kairali, K Tv Health, Sun, Jain, Alpha Bangla, MH 1, Raj (Tamil), Raj (Telugu), Aaj Tak, Headlines, Surya and Star Utsav, had signed two-year agreements with the DDK, free of any financial implications.

Private channels

Mr. Jaipal Reddy said that with 12 of the 23 channels available for the private sector already taken, the offer was open for other private channels to come forward.

Asked as to what the deadline was, he said "The deadline will be until we sign the 40th channel."

K.S. Sarma, CEO, Prasar Bharati, said the cost of the dish antenna was originally Rs.6,000.

However, it had come down to Rs.3,000 following the Prasar Bharati initiative, he said, adding that it would probably come down further because of the increasing numbers that would be required.

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