Net impact: some cable operators across the country were forced to stop beaming the channel, in the absence of decoders. Other operators, who were supplied with decoders by Modi Entertainment Network (DD's marketing agent), faced technical snags. But the unkindest cut of all: a section of the cable industry has threatened a public interest litigation against the Central government.

The Cable Network Association (an all-India apex body of independent cable operators) is planning to move court. Says its spokesman Rakesh Dutta, the PIL, which will be filed in another 15 days, will be against the government for flouting Supreme Court orders issued way back in 1994.

The court had maintained then that the government must prevent monopoly in broadcasting to prevent a few `affluent' channels from taking control in their hands. The SC had also ordered that an autonomous independent authority must be constituted to regulate the use of airwaves for broadcasting. According to CNA, pay channels are being used to create a monopoly in the market, in contravention of the court ruling.

For, the cable operator and the subscriber do not have the right to opt for a channel and are instead forced to take package deals consisting of a bouquet of channels. In this case, the cable industry says, Modi Network is offering DD Sports at Rs 6 a subscriber, but the price is less if the cable operator opts for a bundle which consists of DD Sports, Hallmark and Kermit.

Besides litigation, however, DD Sports is also drawing flak on technical snags. Says SN Sharma, head of WIN Cable, which has nationwide operations: ``DD Sports has been off since Thursday wherever our cable operators are located -in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Pune - because Modi Entertainment Network (MEN) officials have not given us the decoders,'' says Mr Sharma. Modi Entertainment, when contacted, felt it was just an initial hiccup. Mr Ranjit Kapoor, MEN general manager (sales), said the reach of DD Sports could be assessed by counting the number of decoder boxes supplied to cable operators. However, he failed to offer a number, insisting that the final tally could not be ascertained at this stage because supplying decoders was an ongoing process.

Asks a Delhi-based cable operator, however: ``Shouldn't the process of supplying decoders have been completed before DD Sports was turned into an encrypted channel? Particularly, as DD Sports is the only channel in the country coveringOlympics 2000 live.''

Despite repeated efforts, DD officials could not be contacted for their reaction to the ongoing problem.

Finally, even if DD Sports' decoder problem is resolved, it will still have to deal with an unhappy cable community. Says Mr Suzail Waris, head of Extravision (Spectranet Cable): ``Although DD is making available decoders at zero cost, unlike others who charge up to Rs 35,000 per decoder, another pay channel is a burden on the cable operators.'' The industry might be broadcasting grievances, but is anyone listening?