There is no doubt that the Direct-to-the-Home (DTH) industry has become competitive after the rollout of the new tariff regime by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai). Now, more and more DTH operators are vying for the top spot and trying to lure subscribers. South India centred DTH provider, Sun Direct is also in this race. Now, in a new move, Sun Direct has done away with the additional NCF cost which used to be charged above the base price of Rs 130. Sun Direct subscribers will now be able to enjoy unlimited FTA channels in the same base price.
All FTA Channels on Sun Direct for Rs 130 Plus Taxes
It is worth noting that every DTH and Cable TV operator has to charge Rs 130 plus taxes as the base price, which is the Network Capacity Fee (NCF). The NCF of Rs 130 plus taxes which comes out to be around Rs 153 allows the subscribers to get 100 FTA channels on their subscription. Now in case, a subscriber wants to have more than 100 channels on their list, then they would have to pay an additional Rs 20 to get slots for 25 channels. Sun Direct, in its new move, has removed this additional NCF charge which means that subscribers who want to get more than 100 channels on their subscription would not have to pay the additional Rs 20. As a result, the customers of the DTH service provider will be able to enjoy around 155 FTA channels only for Rs 130 NCF plus taxes. This news was first reported by Indian Television.
Tata Sky Offering NCF Discount on Lite Packs
Other DTH operators are currently charging an additional NCF in lieu of providing slots for channels beyond 100. The subscribers have to pay Rs 20 for every 25 FTA channel which they have to watch. Although, Tata Sky is discounting the NCF for subscribers who opt for lite packs in their subscription plans. If you make strategic choices while selecting channels for your subscription and add a Lite pack to your cart, then you could be saving on NCF for your Tata Sky subscription.
To recall, this is not the first time that Sun Direct is pulling off a move like this, but the DTH operator was among the first ones to announce its NCF charge before the rollout of the new tariff regime. The DTH operator had announced that it would be charging Rs 230 as NCF for 100 SD channels. Soon after, Sun Direct had discounted the additional slab NCF for its subscribers only to retract it. Now, to lure the subscribers once again, Sun Direct has introduced this offer. This also means that Sun Direct subscribers can add many FTA channels to their subscription and all they would have to pay is Rs 130 plus taxes, which comes out to be around Rs 153 for the entire range of FTA channels.
