In March, TRAI came up with a consultation paper that would initiate discussion with DTH and IPTV operators on issues related to the sectors. We had picked out points that were unique and could possibly bring about unprecedented changes in the industry on MediaNama. The paper has now received comments from various stakeholders and we have here their opinions and arguments. On Clean Feeds & TV Without Ads Smart Digivision said that in case of offering ad-free television, more flexibility should be allowed to operators and that a commercial arrangement with the broadcaster could be arrived at to share the ad revenues. Bharti Airtel and Reliance Big TV has welcomed the clear feed initiative and has said that it should be considered for the Indian market. Zee Turner has firmly opposed clean feed, stating that "there is absolutely no necessity for providing a clean feed to the DTH operator". Read this interesting patent filed by Alcatel Lucent in India, of advertising on IPTV. VAS As Channels Reliance Big TV has said VAS cannot be construed as broadcast TV channels as the broadcasters have a different business case and VAS are merely an additional incentive to enhance customer satisfaction. It has asked the government to specifically indicate the provision of such services under DTH license. It believes that seeking prior permission from the competent authority before introduction of such services will unnecessarily delay the process. DTH operators are incurring substantial cost in providing Value added services for which they arent able…
