ABS Free Dish, the free DTH service run by a Bermuda-based company of the same name, has shut down its signals over India.
The service used to quite popular in the southern and eastern parts of India as the only other free DTH service — DD Free Dish — was almost entirely focused on the Hindi-speaking North Indian market.
ABS, on the other hand, used to carry about a dozen or more television channels in each of the South Indian languages and Bangla.
The company has not officially announced the shut down, and it is not clear whether it’s temporary or permanent (We have reached out to ABS, and shall update this article if and when they respond.)
Free DTH operators, who do not charge a subscription amount from end users, depend on the money paid by channels to meet their expenses.
However, the government of India has been trying to shut down the free DTH service in the country for non-payment of license fees.
According to Indian laws, any company that wants to offer DTH services in the country has to pay around Rs 10 cr to the government. They also have to pay around 10% of their total revenue every year as license fees.
That said, under international law, no country can stop any satellite operator from sending their signals into the country.
However, it is possible to prevent local companies, such as channel broadcasters, from doing deals with such firms, which would affect their revenue model.
The service used to quite popular in the southern and eastern parts of India as the only other free DTH service — DD Free Dish — was almost entirely focused on the Hindi-speaking North Indian market.
ABS, on the other hand, used to carry about a dozen or more television channels in each of the South Indian languages and Bangla.
The company has not officially announced the shut down, and it is not clear whether it’s temporary or permanent (We have reached out to ABS, and shall update this article if and when they respond.)
Free DTH operators, who do not charge a subscription amount from end users, depend on the money paid by channels to meet their expenses.
However, the government of India has been trying to shut down the free DTH service in the country for non-payment of license fees.
According to Indian laws, any company that wants to offer DTH services in the country has to pay around Rs 10 cr to the government. They also have to pay around 10% of their total revenue every year as license fees.
That said, under international law, no country can stop any satellite operator from sending their signals into the country.
However, it is possible to prevent local companies, such as channel broadcasters, from doing deals with such firms, which would affect their revenue model.