Star To Hike Rates By Rs 10 From Jan

The STAR Network has decided to increase its subscription rates for the its bouquet of seven channels by about Rs 10. The rate is likely to be increased from Rs 30 to approximately Rs 40 per month for the entire bouquet and will be effective January 2002.

"We have decided on a price revision of just Rs 1.35 approximately per day for all seven channels or just 20 paise for each of the seven channels. This is far lower than what you pay for a daily news paper, which costs Rs 2 per day or Rs 60 per month," said Arun Mohan, executive vice president, STAR Network Distribution.

The STAR Network comprises STAR Plus, STAR Movies, STAR Gold, STAR News, STAR World, NGC and Channel (V). " It is sad that just 6 million subscribers in the country share the cost of 38 million cable homes. If cable operators and MSO's declared their true connectivity, we would be in a position to reduce our monthly charges in the long run," Peter Mukherjea, chief executive officer, STAR Network.

Adding on to this, Sameer Nair, executive vice president--head of content & communication said, "We have increased our investment in programming so as to deliver a better viewer experience. We are evolving and innovating with every new programme that we bring, to our viewers. With escalating costs and high production values, that go into this process, it's only fair that the cable operators declare their true connectivity or accept this nominal price increase."