Cable fee hike necessary, say service providers

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, SEPT. 9. The Consortium of Cable Service Providers has stated that unless the cable fee hike was implemented, cable operators were bound to lose their livelihood.

"We are caught between the increased pay channel rates and the pressure mounted by subscribers for lower subscription. We cannot reduce the number of pay channels as subscribers demand different pay channels. There is no consensus among them on the matter," the Consortium president, Mr. R. Satyanarayana, and general secretary, Mr. P. Srikanth, said in a statement here on Sunday.

"The hitherto free-to-air television channels have turned pay and the monthly cost of pay channels is working out to Rs. 140 per household. As a result, we are forced to increase the household subscription charges," they said. They further contended that the subscription rates were not increased since the last 10 years. "While the monthly cable tariff was Rs. 100, it was Rs. 200 now. During the same period, the number of television channels being telecast had increased to 70, pay channels alone accounting for about 40," they pointed out.

With increased competition, "their business had become stagnant and the subscription charges cannot get lower than the proposed new rates," they said.

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Section  : Southern States
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