Trai Regime Will Show Positive Effects in the Industry Soon: RS Sharma

Trai Suggests Way of Decreasing Bill for Subscribers  

On the topic of increased prices for subscribers, Sharma said that previously almost all subscribers had an unnecessary number of channels on their subscription and the subscribers paid for them. However, with the new rules that is not the case as it has been drafted keeping in mind that the consumers would choose and only pay for the channels that they watch. He also noted that as per BARC report, 90% of the subscribers flip less than 50 channels, so if the channel selection is done with proper thought then the consumers would actually be able to save on their monthly subscription.

New Trai Regime to Also Attract Foreign Investors to the Industry

He further added that the new tariff regime would also attract foreign investors and large investments as previously there were discriminatory practices and non-transparent transactions which would be hindered such opportunities. Now with transparent practices, the industry is likely to be a more attractive avenue for big foreign investors.

On the issue of BARC, Trai chairman remarked that it was wrong of the data agency to stop publishing data following the days of implementation of the new tariff regime since a change in viewership was obvious. He said that these changes signify market dynamics and would have been a true reflection of the situation. He added that in the coming days, Trai is also going to take appropriate action where necessary when it comes to OTT apps. Lastly, the Trai chairman also said that given the number of stakeholders involved, the implementation of the Trai tariff framework was a hard task, but now that it is in action, the market forces are at play, and the effects of the new rules will be visible shortly.