Trai’s latest tariff order to jeopardise content creation, hit growth: Broadcasters

MUMBAI: In an unprecedented move, top honchos from fiercely competitive TV broadcast industry on Friday came together against regulator Trai’s new tariff order on Friday, saying pricing caps on channels will stifle content creation, impact jobs and pull down growth.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (Trai) move aimed at reducing charges for subscribers is micro-regulation and puts the industry’s future in “jeopardy”, the lobby grouping Indian Broadcasting Federation (IBF) said.

In the second major change in a year, Trai had capped individual channel subscription at Rs 12 per month, down from the earlier Rs 19, and capped channel bundle discount to 33 per cent, among other moves. The moves are effective from January 1 and analysts had opined this will reduce cable TV subscription charges by 14 per cent.