Hathway is following the footsteps of Tata Sky in the broadcasting sector. There has been a lot going on in the Indian broadcasting sector as the new rules from Trai didn't go well with the consumers. While DTH and Cable TV operators are looking to make profits from the new regime, the viewers are unhappy with some of the moves being made by the operators. Tata Sky users were disappointed after the implementation of full NCF charges for secondary connection, and now, Cable TV operator Hathway is following the same route. The popular Cable TV service provider in the country, Hathway, states that it will charge NCF charges of Rs 153 for every secondary connection, similar to Tata Sky's Room TV service. Hathway also confirmed that a user could choose channels of his/her own on the secondary connection.
Hathway Makes Changes to Multi TV Policy: What's New?
Following the Tata Sky route, Hathway is now charging Rs 153 NCF charges for every secondary connection. "The network capacity fee for the second television connection will be equal to the network capacity fee charged to other television connection," says Hathway. So the maximum NCF charges right now are Rs 153 and it's applicable to almost every TV viewer looking to watch a single paid channel.
Here's a breakdown of NCF charges for secondary connection on Hathway- Rs 130 per Set-Top Box per month for network capacity up to 100 SD channels and Rs 20 per month in the slabs of 25 SD channels beyond the initial 100 SD channels capacity. These are the same NCF charges even for primary connection followed by all the Cable TV and DTH operators in the industry right now.
In addition, Hathway also allows its secondary connection users to choose the channels of their own without any linking to the primary connection. "The subscribers shall be allowed to choose a different set of channels for the second television connection at home," added the company.
Hathway Multi TV Policy is Similar to Tata Sky Room TV Service
Back in June 2019, it was Tata Sky which took a major step in the industry. Almost all the DTH and Cable TV operators are charging reduced NCF for the secondary connection, but Tata Sky went ahead and scrapped the Multi TV policy altogether. Instead, the second largest DTH operator in India introduced a new Room TV service allowing subscribers to choose their own channels for the secondary connection, and at the same time, charging Rs 153 NCF for every connection they own.
Under the Room TV service, a Tata Sky user with a secondary connection will have to pay Rs 153 NCF charges every if they have an a-la-carte channel activated on their connection. But on the brighter side, both Hathway and Tata Sky are allowing the viewers to choose their own channels for the secondary connection.
Airtel Digital TV is charging Rs 80 as NCF charges, whereas Dish TV and D2h are levying Rs 50 as NCF for every secondary connection the subscribers have.
