Broadcasters come together to condemn Trai amendment

NEW DELHI : Television broadcasters across the industry came together at an event in Mumbai under the Indian Broadcasting Federation (IBF) on Friday to condemn the recent amendments brought about by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) to the new tariff order (NTO) and interconnection regulations to the broadcast sector.

According to NTO 2019, consumers could choose the TV channels they want to watch and pay only for them at maximum retail prices (MRPs) set by broadcasters, instead of the pre-set bouquets offered earlier. The new tariff order was expected to make channels cheaper for the consumer and offer more choice. However, on ground, the opposite happened as the cost of like-to-like channel options went up.

To bring down the cost of entertainment for the end consumer, Trai announced amendments to the NTO.