New Delhi: There has been much of a hullabaloo over the new traffic notification of TV channels over the past few days. Almost every TV networks have come out with the a-la-carte MPR of their channels as per the new notification of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), which would come into effect starting from January 1, 2019. Compared to the erstwhile prices, the month TV bills of consumers are speculated to go high as leading broadcasters have decided to come up with their own combined packs that attach non-performing or non-popular channels with the driver or flagship channels.

In a recent notification, TRAI has released a complete list of the maximum retail price (MRP) of pay channels offered by broadcasters in the coming days. As per the new rate revision, customers will now have an option to select and pay for only those TV channels they wish to watch. However, the MRP would be decided by the broadcasters. Some leading TV networks of the country including Zee, Viacom and Star have also announced their own bouquets, with different channels grouped together for a specific price.

With this new amendment, the telecom authority aims to provide customers with an option to pay for only channels they want to watch. TRAI wants to prevent users from the burden of paying rental charges to direct to home (D2H) operators for an entire package which includes channels that customers rarely watch. This would make the entire broadcast framework transparent and fair, TRAI said.

Under the new tariff regime, customers can select 100 channels, out of which 26 are mandatory Doordarshan channels. These channels cost Rs 130 plus per month plus 18 per cent GST. Another 25 channels can also be availed under free to air (FTA) category by paying additional Rs 20. Apart from mandatory Doordarshan channels, customers can select any channel of their choice under the new regime.

“Customers should get the choice to select the channels they want to view and no channel should be shoved down the throat of the customer,” TRAI chief RS Sharma had said. However, as there is no cap on discounting of bouquets (the matter is sub-judice in the Supreme Court) the broadcasters have kept the MRP of popular channels in a price bracket of Rs 15 to Rs 19.

It means that even if a consumer decides to opt for 50 popular channels, they will end up paying equal or more than what they pay current on a monthly basis.