TDSAT issues notice to ESPN on Sun Direct petition

Broadcast tribunal Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) has issued notice to sports broadcaster ESPN for allegedly not providing its channels to Sun Direct, the DTH venture of South India-based Sun TV group.

Admitting the petition filed by Sun Direct, the TDSAT has directed ESPN to file its reply within a week.

In its petition, the Maran family-owned direct-to-home company contended that despite several requests, ESPN failed to provide its signals.

The DTH operator further submitted that during the negotiations ESPN put restrictive conditions such as putting its channels on the basic tier of its packages, which was violative of laws laid down by the sectoral regulator TRAI.

It was also noted by the TDSAT bench, headed by Justice Kumar, that ESPN should share its signals. After that the TDSAT Chairman gave ESPN a week for filing its reply.

The tribunal also directed the operator to file its rejoinder to ESPN's reply within two weeks.

"Let the reply be filed within one week. A rejoinder, if any, (should) be filed two days before the next date of hearing," said the TDSAT Bench.

ESPN, having three channels, ESPN, Star Sports and Star Cricket, is facing action from various authorities for allegedly violating guidelines on the pricing plan for direct-to-home operators.

TRAI has already filed a criminal case against ESPN officials and has recommended to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting the cancellation of its uplinking licence for not giving its signals to DTH operators at 50 per cent of the rate cable operators are charged in non-CAS areas.

The TDSAT has fixed November 24 for the next hearing.