Home > Business > PTI > Report

Indian broadcasters oppose CAS 'rollout plan'

July 04, 2003 19:11 IST

Indian broadcasters on Friday joined hands to accuse the foreign broadcasters of adopting "arm-twisting tactics" to delay implementation of conditional access system.

The Indian broadcasters -- Aaj Tak, SABe TV, Sahara TV and Eenadu TV, who met in Mumbai, also opposed the "rollout plan" suggested by their foreign counterparts, saying it will lead to opening the Indian airwaves to foreign invasion.

"By submitting to the rollout plan suggested by the foreign broadcasters, not only would the government discriminate amongst viewers but will also fail to honour the mandate given by the Indian public through Parliament.

"If politicians do not wake up to this fact, they would be opening the Indian airwaves to a foreign invasion," a joint statement issued by domestic broadcasters after the meeting said.

The statement was issued even as domestic broadcasters and cable operators met officials in the Prime Minister's Office to sort out the problems in CAS implementation from July 15.

They said the delay in CAS implementation would work against the public interest and would also seriously erode the credibility of the government.

The Indian broadcasters have recommended a 30-day relief period for the rollout in which all FTA and pay channels would have to be provided by the multi-system operators within the cap of Rs 72 as slated by the information and broadcasting ministry.


Article Tools

Email this Article

Printer-Friendly Format

Letter to the Editor



Related Stories


STBs can't capture viewership

CAS and effect: Media shares up

Balaji Telefilms surges



People Who Read This Also Read


Cable TV package may cost Rs 200

Cable TV to cost more, post-CAS

Duty sops on STBs may go on





© Copyright 2003 PTI. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of PTI content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent.








Copyright © 2003 rediff.com India Limited. All Rights Reserved.