25 Jan 2019

Now, use TRAI's app to pick channels, see monthly prices

Business

Written by

Shubham Sharma

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has launched a new portal to help DTH/cable users understand varied channel prices introduced under its new regulatory framework for broadcasting services.

The portal, which has been dubbed Channel Selector Application, will let you pick channels of your choice and get a grasp of the final monthly rental.

Here's how you can use it.

Information

First up, what are TRAI's DTH regulations?

TRAI has introduced a fair pricing model allowing DTH users to choose the channels they want to watch and migrate to a base pack of 100 SD channels. As such, broadcasters have given several 'free-to-air' and 'pay channels' at different rates to choose from.

Function

Tool to make informed decisions

Basically, the channel selector is a website which will take you through a series of steps to define what you want to watch and what you don't want to watch.

Then, towards the end, it will display the maximum retail price of the channels selected.

It would show a detailed breakup of all free-to-air, mandatory, and paid channels making up your monthly rental.

Steps

How to use the Channel Selector?

In order to use Channel Selector, visit this page (https://channel.trai.gov.in).

Hit the 'Get Started' button at the bottom and answer a few basic questions, like your name, state, preferred genre, and content resolution (SD/HD).

Next, the app will show a list of channels based on your location and preferences, allowing you to pick the ones you want and leave those that you don't watch.

Information

You can filter channels by broadcaster or price

On the page for selecting channels, TRAI offers multiple filters to pick the channel you want. This includes options to filter content by price, language, and even broadcasters like Star, Viacom, and others.

Final step

Then, you can see the final monthly rental

Once you've selected the channels, hit the 'View Selection' button at the top right corner to get the monthly rental.

Here, TRAI will show a detailed breakup of all the channels you've chosen (paid and free-to-air) and the prices applicable.

At the bottom, the total monthly rental would be visible, inclusive of GST and other mandatory charges like the network capacity fees.

Handy feature

This makes channel selection relatively easy

With Channel Selector, you can easily understand what would be the final amount for the channels you want to watch.

Although it has no option to buy the curated pack, but if you've been confused about the incoming regulatory changes related to DTH, this is the place to go.

You can also switch to channel #999 or contact your operator for plan information.

Information

Note: January 31 is the deadline

TRAI has set January 31 as the deadline for choosing channels/packs and updating subscription under the new regulatory model. After this, you might be pushed to a base plan, which won't have several pay channels and might disrupt television services at your home.

SD HD GST DTH TRAI Get Started

Aarav Gupta

Asked on 25 January, 2019

What are the new TRAI rules regarding Broadcasting and Cable services?

Answered by

NewsBytes

Back in March 2017, TRAI announced new rules that allow users to individually select and pay for channels they want to watch per month. As per the new framework, a distributor cannot charge users more than Rs. 130 per month for the initial one hundred SD channels. Moreover, a subscriber can choose any Free-To-Air (FTA) channel, Pay channel or bouquet channels.

Vibhore Jindal

Asked on 25 January, 2019

What are the best plans that Airtel Digital TV is offering?

Answered by

NewsBytes

Airtel has listed its channels into an a-la-carte section and combo packs. For a-la-carte packs, subscribers will have to get a base pack worth Rs 150 with popular channels like Star Plus, Colors and Zee TV priced at Rs 22.42 each per month Airtel has also listed several HD and SD combo packs such as Cricket Combo SD Topup at Rs. 2.5 per day.

Abhinav Subramanium

Asked on 25 January, 2019

What are the best channel packs on DishTV?

Answered by

NewsBytes

Dish TV has separated channels under genres such as English Movies, Hindi Movies, Infotainment, Kids, Sports, Music, Lifestyle and more. The list has several free-to-air and paid channels with the price range starting from 0.1 paise to Rs. 19. Moreover, Dish TV has also listed several HD channels as well as regional channels in genres like Marathi, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, and others.

Harini Mittal

Asked on 25 January, 2019

What is the last date for subscribers to update their subscriptions?

Answered by

NewsBytes

Previously, TRAI had set December 28 2018, as the last date for subscribers to update their channel subscriptions. However, the nodal body has extended the last date to January 31, 2019.

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