'If everything will be available on OTT platforms, who's going to watch cable TV?'
COWF India, in a letter to PM Narendra Modi, has requested to stop NTO 2.0 from getting implemented, disregard linear TV as part of OTT & make cable operator-friendly amendments in the DAS laws
Cable Operators Welfare Association of India (CoWF India), representing the cable operators across the nation, in a letter to PM Narendra Modi has requested to stop NTO 2.0 from getting implemented.
The federation wrote that the unjustifiably made regulation on Cable TV i.e. New Tariff Order 2 (NTO 2), coming into effect from January 1, 2022, will cause disruption in the Cable TV industry and will contribute as a villain in the unemployment and downturn of lakhs of people related to the industry.
"The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) along with the broadcasters are browbeating the local cable operators to enforce the new tariff order, this will cause a great hitch in the lives of the local cable operators of India," read the letter.
The letter further added, "The local cable operators have already faced a lot of losses and damages when NTO 1 was implemented, as it was not in the favour of the consumers and Local cable operators. NTO-1 was not a consumer-friendly decision because many consumers did not want a hole in their pockets, thus, they stopped watching cable TV. It is unfortunate to see that TRAI preferred to only take care of the broadcasters and their respective revenues and left the cable operators on their own."
It also stated that the cable operators and the Independent MSOs are constantly going out of business as each day passes whereas the broadcasters seem to be earning more. Broadcasters are making a lot of riches just by advertising and because of charging 80% of the ground collection whereas the Local cable operators do the drudgery and toils day and night just get a hard time from the subscribers and from TRAI.
COWF said that they believe that the NTO 2 is going to act as a bigger villain in the lives of the local cable operators because they are the ones who are going to lose businesses and work if this regulation gets implemented.
"It will not be a lie if we say that the cable operators are getting doomed day by day because of the wrongly made Tariff Orders. A lot of people already faced unemployment and downturn due to little or no revenue earning during the NTO1 and no doubt, the NTO 2.0 is no different than the first one. It's clear and evident that the valuable consumers will not be ready to cooperate with us again at will snub as nobody wants their pockets to go empty just to watch television. Also, they will be cold shouldering us and will shift to the other entertainment providing options."
COWF said that NTO 2 is an abhorrent law and it must be stopped from getting implemented as it will make the survival of lakhs of people related to the cable industry very challenging and difficult.
The association also made some suggestions and requested to introduce some laws for the OTT platforms as they run without any strict prohibitions and laws. "We would also like to request you to disregard the Linear TV as a part of the OTT platforms as if everything will be available on the OTT platforms, who's going to watch the Cable TV? Linear TV is supposed to be a part only of the Cable TV. Broadcasters are freely exploiting the Cable operators by making Linear TV a part of the OTT platforms whereas the LCOs are doing drudgery to save themselves from going out of business," added the letter.
