Broadcasters to skip August 12 deadline on new tariff order

The deadline to implement the New Tariff Order (NTO) expires on Thursday, but most broadcasters are yet to file their new pricing with telecom regulator TRAI.

Broadcasters say they need time till the end of the month to file the fresh reference interconnect offer (RIO) declaring the new MRP and bouquet prices as per the amended tariff order.

A senior official at the Indian Broadcasting Foundation, one of the main petitioners against NTO 2.0 in the Bombay High Court and now the Supreme Court, told BusinessLine, “Since this matter is sub judice, broadcasters will skip the August 12 deadline and are likely to file the new RIO by month end.”

Star India, Sony Pictures Networks India, Viacom18, and Zee Entertainment Enterprises, also key petitioners against NTO 2.0, did not respond to BusinessLine’s queries.

Legal proceedings
On August 6, the Supreme Court refused to stay the new tariff order and set August 18 for the next hearing, stating that the volume of petitions was too bulky.

Earlier, the Bombay High Court had given broadcasters six weeks and directed TRAI to not take any coercive action against the broadcasters during this period. The six-week period ends on Thursday and TRAI can start penalising broadcasters as the court has not stayed the new tariff order, which mandates an MRP of ₹12 per channel, down from the earlier ₹19. The Hindu BusinessLine