Trai New Multi TV Policy Reduces Attractiveness of D2h and Dish TV Connections

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has already laid out the new rules of the game for the DTH industry. While the broadcasters are not pleased with the new regulations of the industry and are vehemently opposing the new rules, the consumers are rejoicing on some relief which they have received on the pricing front when it comes to the DTH connections. One of the areas which Trai has patched up in its amendment of the rules is the Multi TV policy. Trai has noted that now the Multi TV connections cannot be priced more than 40% of the base NCF for the primary connection. Previously, the Multi TV pricing used to be dependent on the DTH operator and was decided by them solely. This earned an edge to D2h and Dish TV who had very attractive Multi TV policies in place. But, with very specific rules all set to come in effect for multiple TV connections, the popularity of the Dish TV and D2h

connections might take a hit. Read ahead to find out more about this.

Trai Changes Multi TV Policies for All DTH Operators

Here is an overview of how things are actually functioning in the DTH industry right now. Currently, Multi TV pricing remains totally in the hands of the DTH operators. As a result, every DTH operator had different rates and the winner for the consumer was Dish TV and D2h. Both of these companies had specified a base NCF of Rs 50 per month for the secondary consumer of a TV connection. Meaning that no matter how much the subscribers paid for the first TV connection, for the second TV connection they would only have to pay Rs 50 as NCF as opposed to the minimum Rs 130 which is required to be paid by the customers for the primary connection. These subscribers also weren’t required to pay more than Rs 50 in case they had more than 100 channels.

NCF Changes Under New Multi TV Rules

This meant that until now D2h and Dish TV were the top choices for the DTH subscribers if they had multiple TVs in their homes. But, with the new Trai rules it seems that D2h and Dish TV Multi TV pricing will lose its charm. Trai has placed a 40% cap on the NCF for secondary connections. This means that the NCF of the base TV is Rs 130, then a maximum of Rs 52 NCF can be charged for the second TV. This basically brings down the secondary NCF for all DTH providers. While Tata Sky was charging full NCF for secondary connections as well till now, that would not be the case any longer.

Tata Sky and Airtel Digital TV Multi TV Connections to Become Cheaper

This change means that the subscribers who were sticking with D2h and Dish TV only because they had multiple connections at their home will have other options to migrate to. Even if they decide to shift to Airtel Digital TV or Tata Sky, they would still be paying around Rs 50 for the NCF of secondary connection, as opposed to Rs 130 full base NCF similar to the primary connection. However, it is crucial to note that this change would only be applicable after the introduction of the new rules which are set to go live on March 1. Along with changing the Multi TV rules, the maximum NCF for any DTH connection has been set at Rs 160 regardless of the number of channels. So, even if the subscribers get 200 channels to their subscription, they would only pay an NCF of Rs 160 per month maximum.