India
March 29, 2012
Don’t Rush to Regulate, CASBAA Tell TRAI
Proposals to reduce the allowed advertisements on TV channels in India were premature and not carefully considered, CASBAA told the TRAI in a submission. Before considering any action, the government should wait to see if planned cable digitization really has the desired effects on subscription revenues to channels. And even then, CASBAA said, why shouldn’t India use the self-regulation model, instead of heavy-handed government intervention?
Download the full submission here.
January 16, 2012
Indian Cable Digitization
CASBAA Urges Rate Decontrol, Strong IP Measures -- In a filing to India’s TRAI, CASBAA maintained that there is substantial retail pay-TV competition in India that will restrain tariffs, and urged TRAI to forbear from regulating retail tariffs now and in the future. TRAI had set the right course with its July 2010 tariff order refraining from regulating retail rates of addressable systems (cable as well as DTH), CASBAA said, and it should stay the course. CASBAA also said that revised “interconnection” regulations governing relations between content providers and pay-TV platforms should make it clear that all players should cooperate in active antipiracy programs.
See the complete submission here.
See submissions by CASBAA member companies here.
April 27, 2010
CASBAA urges India: Digitize more and regulate less
In a submission to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), CASBAA told the TRAI it should move aggressively to stimulate digitization of the Indian cable TV market, to solve a host of problems including non-transparency and capacity limits. Meanwhile, TRAI should not jump to the conclusion that comprehensive rate regulation is required in India. Recent court decisions have mandated that the market be examined for evidence of market failure, not that heavy regulation should be continued. CASBAA notes that “growing, energetic and consumer-friendly competition” now characterizes the Indian pay-TV market.
April 21, 2010
CASBAA's second submission to TRAI on channel cap
CASBAA advised the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) that no cap on the number of TV channels in India is necessary or advisable. Satellite spectrum is not a realistic constraint, with room in the C-band for more than 10,000 standard TV channels on satellites already visible from India. India’s government should set clear, transparent qualification standards for companies wishing to launch TV channels, but then let the market decide how many succeed.
March 24, 2010
European Expert compares Economic Regulation in Europe and India
Speaking at a recent CASBAA seminar in India, a European legal expert and former international affairs chief at the UK Competition Authority, outlined differences in European and Indian approaches to regulation in the pay-TV industry. Andrea Appella, now Director of Legal, Competition and Regulatory Affairs at News Corp in London, advised Indian regulators to adopt a lighter touch, avoiding “ex ante” regulation except where there was demonstrable market dysfunctionality that could not be cured by recourse to standard competition law. To read Mr. Appella’s full presentation click here.
November 2, 2009
CASBAA submits to TRAI on FDI and Channel Caps
CASBAA wrote to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, urging TRAI to maintain its support for equalizing foreign investment limits for all pay-TV operators at the 74% level already applicable to IPTV/telecom firms. CASBAA also suggested that an artificial “cap” on the number of Indian TV channels was a bad idea. See the whole submission here.
Jan 23, 2009
CASBAA endorses competition and consumer choice in India
In response to a consultation paper by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), CASBAA told TRAI that the rapid growth and development of India’s media market was generating increased competition and providing multiple choices to the consumer, so that (in the TRAI’s words) “the tariff and other regulations can be softened.” Unfortunately, CASBAA said, current TRAI proposals “take India in the wrong direction,” and would bring a massive increase in the regulatory burden on the industry, particularly as concerns new media platforms. Read the entire CASBAA submission here.
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