TRAI seeks views on regulating DD Free Dish

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

TRAI) has kicked off a consultation exercise on issues related to the TV broadcasting sector, in which it has also asked the stakeholders if DD Free Dish, the free direct-to-home (DTH) platform owned by Prasar Bharati, needs to be brought under the regulatory framework. The regulator has asked the TV broadcast industry to give their views on upgrading DD Free Dish to an addressable platform. The TRAI has also requested input from stakeholders about the migration process for DD Free Dish to become an addressable platform as well as the timeline for implementing the proposed migration plan. Currently, DD Free Dish is a non-addressable platform as the majority of the set-top boxes (STBs) through which its service is accessed are unencrypted. The TRAI's tariff and regulations don't apply to DD Free Dish since it is a free platform. The distribution platform operators (DPOs) have been lobbying for years with the government to regulate DD Free Dish, which has become a distribution giant and is estimated to reach over 40 million TV homes.During the recent auction, Prasar Bharati earned over Rs 1000 crore in annual carriage fees from the sale of 65 slots of DD Free Dish to the broadcasters.

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DD Free Dish, along with over-the-top (OTT) platforms, has been eating into the subscriber base of pay-TV service providers like Tata Play, Dish TV, Airtel Digital TV, Hathway Digital, DEN, and NXT Digital. These service providers are collectively referred to as DPOs by the TRAI. According to the FICCI-EY report, TV subscription revenue declined for the third year in a row in 2022 as the pay-TV universe saw a decline of five million homes and consumer-end ARPUs