Star and Airtel Digital TV Arrive at an Agreement Post Renewing Content Deal

Following a lengthy hassle over the increased prices of Star Channels on Airtel Digital TV, finally, both the companies have arrived at an agreement where Airtel Digital TV has agreed to broadcast Star Channels without any obstruction which involves the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Star Sports Network. Previously discussions were ongoing between both the parties related to a la carte deal which would mean people would have to pay the fees depending on the channel subscription that will be available to the viewers as an add-on option, also the discussions involved a decision regarding reference interconnect offer (RIO). If the agreement hadn’t concluded like the way it did, it would have signalled the total departure of Star Channels from Airtel Digital TV.

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Both the parties went on Twitter to release the update to the common public and said the following in the official statement “Airtel Digital subscribers will continue to get uninterrupted access to all of Star’s programmes including Vivo IPL, following an agreement reached between Star and Airtel. Both parties would like to assure their subscribers that the two companies are committed to bringing more and more high-quality content and experience to their consumers.”

The whiff of the matter was caught by Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT), post which the Tribunal ruled that both the parties should arrive at a mutual agreement before March 31 else the RIO deal would take effect automatically on April 1.

Following this, Airtel Digital TV filed the petition in TDSAT challenging Star’s disconnection notice. After that, Airtel was approached by the Tribunal to clear the dues except for the disputed amount of Rs. 9.8 crores. After the Tribunal moved forward on the decision of directing Airtel Digital TV, Star filed an application before the TDSAT to direct Airtel to go ahead with the RIO deal effective 9th March and also asked the opposing party to clear the dues worth 17.8 crores.