Star, Zee, NDTV and Ten Channels missing in Hathway Bangalore

[Gopichand Pai]

All the Star, Zee, NDTV and Ten channels have been switched off in Bangalore Hathway. It was switched off 16th mid night. This due to payment issues between channel distributors and hathway. Distributors are asking for huge money to renew the contract. They are also asking for more money per subscribers which hathway is not ready. Hathway also moved to consumer court yesterday but nothing has changed. Latest update is that channels will be back on Monday but there is no guarantee.

 

[Gopichand Pai]

When most of us were thinking that digitization will help cable users, looks like it has become the opposite!

 

[IndianMascot]

Hathway once used to be a trusted MSO but now they have become quite pathetic with their monetary issues and frequent blackout of channels.

On the other hand useless TRAI is sitting idle and doing nothing to safe guard customers rights.

I wish someone files a consumer complaint and demand compensation for not broadcasting these channels.

 

[Gopichand Pai]

I have decided to pay less this month to my LCO.

 

[IndianMascot]

But such downgrade in service will force people to opt out for DTH services.

 

[d2h_lover]

yeah but at the same time count of HD channels with Hathway is good and considerable agn...

 

[IndianMascot]

But not commendable as compared to DTH . I don't think they have more HD channels than Dish TV .

 

[d2h_lover]

being having digital cable services count is considerable i meant...as compare to DTH

 

[IndianMascot]

Gopichand Pai : Is the blackout because of this ?

The TV screen have gone blank across Bangalore as couch potatoes in the city missed their regular teleserials and teleshows.

The problem, which has cropped up in areas where service providers installed set top boxes to meet the deadline set by the law, is being traced to multi-satellite operators (MSO) who are the primary providers for the cable operators and provide set top boxes to the end operators.

“There are four MSOs in Bangalore. They are asking us to pay more, on the ground that some of the channels are asking them for more money, lest they cut off service,” said Ratan Kumar, partner, Dhanalakshmi cable operators and a member of Karnataka cable TV operators’ association. It is an offer the cable operators cannot refuse. Either they have to absorb the extra payout to the MSOs or pass it on to the subscribers.

“We are in talks with the MSOs and hope to resolve the issue soon. But, we have been facing the music with more than 100 customers calling and complaining to us. It is very hard for us to convince them,” Ratan said.

But subscribers in many areas including Koramangala, Malleswaram, Indiranagar, Rajajinagar and some parts of Majestic, where TVs are on the blink, are unwilling to wait.

They are blaming the cable operators, treating it as a problem related to conversion to set top boxes.

 

[Gopichand Pai]

Partially yes. The story above is story from the LCO side. The story from MSO side is, channel distributors are asking for lot of money to renew the contracts. This has to be absorbed by MSOs or pass it on to subscribers or LCOs. The blackout is not from MSO side but it is from channel side.