Boxed-in cablemen strike bargain chord

KOLKATA: Cable operators in the city, it seems, are tiring of waiting for the conditional access system. They are now trying to roll out the set-top boxes that have been gathering cobwebs in their godowns to customers as a multi-dimensional system, with more to it than a mere signal encrypter.
And the finance ministry has also provided a muchneeded shot-in-the-arm to the local cable industry by lower ing duties on imported set-top boxes — from the existing rate of 50 per cent to 5 per cent, till December 31, 2003.
This has got cable operators, ably backed by multi-system operators, approaching Kolkatans with renewed vigour. At stake are an estimated 1,00,000 set-top boxes that are lying in various godowns in the city, incurring high interest costs both to multi-system operators and third party financiers. The operators are busy peddling these boxes to consumers with various sops and offers.
Leading the charge is Siti-Cable, which claims to have over 40,000 boxes lying in various stages of transit and storage in the city. Says Soumen Ray Choudhury, head of Siti Kolkata, “With our STBs incurring high interest charges, we are trying to provide a suitable valueproposition to viewers here so that they buy set-top boxes of their own free will.�
Siti’s hardsell includes 108 TV channels, along with five exclusive radio channels with digital quality picture and sound, in addition to the possibility of an upgrade to a larger number in future. “We are regularly scrolling messages on our network informing viewers about the various advantages of opting for a set-top box,� adds Choudhury. “The bottomline is that a set-top box has more than options that TV viewing.� On the other side, RPG Netcom and Manthan — the largest and third largest MSOs in Kolkata with analogue systems — could join the game and enter into a pact, if a proposal mooted by Manthan is any indication.
Says Manthan director Gurmeet Singh, “We intend to discuss with RPG about a joint exercise in which TV channels can be encrypted to pave the way for providing set-top boxes to consumers.�
RPG admits that only about 20 set-top boxes remain with their consumers now. “Most of our viewers wanted a refund on their money and we complied,� says Amit Nag, chief executive, RPG Netcom. “However, I strongly feel that CAS will soon be implemented by the government.�
And where does the consumer stand? Mrinal Chatterjee, of the national CAS task force, says: “Viewers need to see what they are getting and what they are paying for when they decide to opt for a set-top box. If monthly rates are not being changed, then it is win-win proposition for all concerned. To the cable operator a box can then mean addressability while to the consumer it can usher in that much-needed choice.�