Tata Sky gets to work on letting customers pay only for channels they watch

While the court case filed by the DTH operator is still active, Tata Sky is confident of implementing the tariff order among its consumer base by the Jan 31 deadline

A week before the migration deadline for distribution platform operators (DPOs) to implement the new tariff order mandated by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), DTH operator Tata Sky has launched its initiatives to help its customers adopt the new regime.  

Until now, Tata Sky had not actively started the process of migration to the new system since it was involved in a Delhi High Court case on the matter. The DTH operator had moved the court challenging parts of the new tariff order.

As a result, it was given a reprieve from implementing the order until the case was underway. Tata Sky CEO Harit Nagpal, however, informed that the company was prepared for the migration and was confident that one week was enough time to reach out and convert customers to the new system. 

"We've been preparing for the migration and I don't think it should take more than a week. The (Tata Sky) app and website have the necessary tools to help customers choose their channels and packs. In case a customer is not savvy with the website or the app, we have trained our network of 200,000 dealers to help in the process," he added.

The home/landing page on Tata Sky's website and app direct the consumer to the channel/pack selection process in order to facilitate the migration.

Nagpal maintained that while the company did have objections to certain parts of the tariff order, it would comply with the law of the land and implement the order. "We will continue to have a dialogue with the regulator, whether directly or through our lawyers, when issues arise, but in the meantime, we will ensure compliance with the order to the best of our capacity," he said.  

According to sources, the implementation of the tariff order is nearing 60 per cent, excluding Tata Sky. Cable operators have launched extensive campaigns, across media platforms and on-ground, to educate the consumers and get their choice of channels registered.

According to news agency reports, Trai had served a notice to Tata Sky regarding the implementation of the order. However, it is not clear whether the action taken by the DTH operator is in response to the said notice.