TRAI heaped a lot on its plate when it decided to roll out the ambitious TV pricing for DTH, Cable TV which went live on 1 February 2019. Even though the new pricing regime was curated keeping in mind consumer benefit and had noble intentions, the same did not prove to be much useful for many as the customers have been rendered confused rather than empowered. And with the new deadline for migrating to TRAI’s new rules drawing near, it becomes a pertinent question whether all the TRAI hoopla was worth it.

TRAI chairman RS Sharma has ceaselessly backed his new plan calling it empowering and claiming it to have reduced TV bills; tweets which say otherwise have piled up on social media. Until recently, RS Sharma has claimed that the TV bills have actually fallen for consumers. However, issues with increased prices and faulty implementation remain unchecked.

“The customer is king. And the king has a good life, but only when he is allowed to rule,” RS Sharma had written in The Indian Express. However, too many choices and numerous complicated rules have left many subscribers baffled.

TRAI’s new ruling; what went awry?

Transferring power in consumer hands to choose and pay only for the channels one wishes to watch, TRAI’s new plan backfired for many as they ended up paying more than they used to previously.

Different channel rates with the most premium ones costing Rs 19 each and additional tax slabs also didn’t work for many. Per TRAI rulings, the base pack was priced at Rs 130 (plus 18% GST) for 100 channels out of which 25 are mandatory DD channels. The inefficient migration at the hands of DTH, cable TV providers also added to the chaos.

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