Indian broadcasters threatened to cut transmission of TV channels

Kathmandu, July 13:

As the Ministry of Information and Communications (MoIC) Thursday published a public notice regarding the implementation of the ‘Clean Feed Policy’ effective from July 16, an Indian broadcasting organisation threatened to discontinue broadcasting of the television channels in Nepal.

The Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) said, in a press statement, that its Secretary General Girish Srivastava hinted the possibility of even stopping of Indian televison channels from airing in Nepal.

The IBF termed the move as ‘counter-productive’ to the digitization process in the country.

Since IBF members manage 450 plus channels and cover above 90 per cent of television viewership and revenues, implementation of Clean Feed Policy Nepal will result in loss of their revenues.

“Although they have claimed that backtracking from the policy would benefit Nepali cable entrepreneurs, their major concern is their own revenues,” said Ram Chandra Dhakal, spokesperson of the MoIC.

The apex body for the broadcasting sector in India said that it was dismayed over Nepal’s decision.

It stated that given the miniscule size and Average Revenue Per User (ARPU), spending exorbitant amounts in creating clean feed did not make any sense from a business perspective.

It appealed Nepal to de-notify its decision on the implementation of Clean Feed Policy with immediate effect to prevent expected loss of revenues and employment in the country.

Dhakal termed the IBF claim as baseless, and said that Nepal would not lose any revenue but the foreign broadcasters.

“The government is implementing the policy in Nepal’s interest. Therefore, our concern is to create the market for Nepali businesses, not the foreign companies,” he said.

However, president of the Federation of Nepal Cable Television Association Sudhir Parajuli said that the government move to apply clean feed was against the national interest as it would promote the use of illegal Indian DTH (Direct to Home) television services in the country.

Saying that there were currently about 50,000 illegal DTH in the country, he warned that the Nepali entrepreneurs would lose lucrative glamour business through their hands.

“Putting the clean feed into practice means directly affecting the television digitization process in the country. It will discourage more than Rs. 20 billion investment in the digital technology,” said Parajuli.

According to him, there has already been Rs. 6 billion investment in DTH sector and Rs. 12 billion in cable television.

The Ministry said that all companies involving in distribution and transmission of television signals, such as DTH, cable companies, Internet Protocol TV, Digital Terrestrial and Multi-Channel Multi-Point Distribution Service (MMDS), should implement clean feed.

According to MoIC statistics, about 853 companies have obtained the license of cable television, while 3 MDS, 51 signal distribution companies, 4 IPTV and 1 DTH have also got the licenses.

(Published in The Rising Nepal Daily, on 14 July, 2017)