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TV households across the city will have to install set-top boxes by December 27. Television sets that run without a STB will be blacked out.
According to a recent directive from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, city-based cable operators or multi system operators (MSO) are supposed to switch off all analogue signals by December 27. This means Kolkatans who have not yet bought set-top boxes from cable operators or opted for direct-to-home services only have a fortnight to make the digital switch.
City-based cable operators have been airing channels using analogue signals following the insistence of the West Bengal Government even after the lapse of the October 31 deadline.
Delhi and Mumbai are the two metros that have already complied with mandatory digitisation norms. Chennai remains out of the mandatory norms as the Madras High Court has stayed rollout of digitisation plans.
“We have been asked to comply with the new directive and all analogue signals will be switched off from December 28,” a city-based MSO said. Five city-based MSOs had attended a meeting called by the I&B Ministry in Delhi on Thursday to discuss the issue. Failure to comply would mean that licences of these MSOs will be cancelled. “We were made to sign a statement saying we will comply with the directive,” said an executive of a city-based MSO, who had attended the meeting.
The State Government had maintained that both digital and analogue signals were to be beamed until all households installed set-top boxes.
Of the 42 lakh homes that have a cable TV connection in Kolkata, nearly 32 lakh (75 per cent) have currently been digitised.
Meanwhile, as per the Centre’s directive, TV sets across some parts of the city will face a partial blackout starting Sunday (December 16).
“We will stop airing analogue channels in some parts of the city beginning December 16. And a complete blackout will take place after December 27,” an MSO said.
According to a recent directive from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, city-based cable operators or multi system operators (MSO) are supposed to switch off all analogue signals by December 27. This means Kolkatans who have not yet bought set-top boxes from cable operators or opted for direct-to-home services only have a fortnight to make the digital switch.
City-based cable operators have been airing channels using analogue signals following the insistence of the West Bengal Government even after the lapse of the October 31 deadline.
Delhi and Mumbai are the two metros that have already complied with mandatory digitisation norms. Chennai remains out of the mandatory norms as the Madras High Court has stayed rollout of digitisation plans.
“We have been asked to comply with the new directive and all analogue signals will be switched off from December 28,” a city-based MSO said. Five city-based MSOs had attended a meeting called by the I&B Ministry in Delhi on Thursday to discuss the issue. Failure to comply would mean that licences of these MSOs will be cancelled. “We were made to sign a statement saying we will comply with the directive,” said an executive of a city-based MSO, who had attended the meeting.
The State Government had maintained that both digital and analogue signals were to be beamed until all households installed set-top boxes.
Of the 42 lakh homes that have a cable TV connection in Kolkata, nearly 32 lakh (75 per cent) have currently been digitised.
Meanwhile, as per the Centre’s directive, TV sets across some parts of the city will face a partial blackout starting Sunday (December 16).
“We will stop airing analogue channels in some parts of the city beginning December 16. And a complete blackout will take place after December 27,” an MSO said.
