Trai restores cap on MRP of a TV channel as part of a bouquet to Rs 19

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), the regulator for both the telecom and broadcast sectors, has amended the new tariff order (NTO) 2.0 on Tuesday, restoring the price cap for a television channel, which is part of a bouquet, to Rs 19 from Rs 12 earlier.

The move comes nearly three years after the NTO 2.0 was first mooted by the regulatory body in January 2020, setting a price cap of Rs 12 per channel for those which were part of a bouquet. The directive had met with a wall of opposition from broadcasters as well as direct-to-home operators, resulting in multiple postponements of the order. NTO 2.0 will now be implemented in February 2023.