The rate rise will be led by the major channels, such as Zee TV, which has of late gained viewers and advertisers, but will be sharper in the case of the smaller channels.

"The hike by the major channels will not be very big, but they will, given their high volumes, make a lot of additional money by the end of the year," said an industry player.

The smaller channels, whether they peddle entertainment or information, charge about a third of the rates charged by major channels and that leaves immense scope for an increase.

"It (the cricket fiasco) will have a positive impact on the entire general entertainment spectrum. At the right time, a positive impact on advertising rates cannot be ruled out," said Ashish Kaul, senior vice-president with Zee.

Since the matches were occupying the prime time slot, India's exit frees up the precious seconds that advertisers die for. The discounts on ad rates that many channels were offering for the duration of the World Cup will disappear immediately.

The channels point out that while the number of cable and satellite homes has nearly doubled in the last four years, the rates have not gone up proportionately.

There has been some shake-up in viewership with the introduction of the conditional access system in some cities and advertisers say many viewers have logged out of pay channels. However, this is seen as a temporary aberration and analysts believe that general entertainment channels are at present under-priced.

Now is an opportune time, as India is out of the cricket World Cup and eyeballs are thirsting again for general entertainment. Advertisers, shaken up by the cricket debacle, will find it difficult to withstand a hard bargain from channels. 

STAR TV's executive vice-president, corporate affairs, Yash Khanna said he was not aware of any immediate rate hike and that STAR's year began in July.