Euro action goes off TV screens: Dispute over hike in charges behind channel blackout

Many Calcuttans could not watch the blockbuster Euro semi-final clash between Spain and France.

They are subscribers of local cable channels who had the Sony (the official broadcaster of Euro 2024) channels taken off their TV screens on Tuesday. The match started at 12.30am on Wednesday.

The blackout was attributed to a dispute between a section of multi-system operators (MSO) and the broadcaster over a possible charge hike.

Subscribers of at least two multi-service operators (MSO) — Hathway and Den — were affected, said local cable operators. There was no word on a possible comeback of the channels before the second semi-final — between England and the Netherlands — that starts at 12.30am (IST) on Thursday.

“Around 11.45pm on Tuesday, I could not trace the channel. I could not watch the match. It was too late to call the local operator. I missed a great match,” said Supratim Das, 59, a Behala resident.

Scrolls on their screens kept popping up for much of the past week. One said the Sony channels could be deactivated for non-payment of dues.

Another warned that the channels could be taken off air because of a disagreement between the MSO and the broadcaster.

Sony Pictures Networks India said it was “committed to fostering long-term partnerships” with MSOs and local cable operators.

” Despite a prepaid model where LCOs have already collected and forwarded payments to MSOs such as GTPL, DEN, Hathway, and Metrocast, including for the Sony package, outstanding dues exceeding six months have necessitated the restriction of access to Sony channels including our sports channels in certain areas. We have notified viewers of the service disruption due to these unresolved payments through channel scrolls, in line with TRAI regulations. We are actively working with these partners to resolve the issue and restore service swiftly,” the broadcaster said.

A Bansdroni resident called his local cable operator after he could not find the channel after it was takenoff air.

“I was told that the channel will come back soon. But it did not happen. It is frustrating because I am paying all the cable subscription fees,” said the 43-year-old.

A Baghajatin resident who also missed the match said he “literally fought” with the operator but to no avail. “I don’t have an OTT subscription. I tried to watch the match on a third-party site by using a private virtual private network (VPN). But I could not,” said the man.

Prabir Kumar Ghosh, a cable operator in Naktala, said around 500 of his customers had Sony channels taken off their screens. “There was no concrete word from the MSO. Till 11pm on Tuesday, I was told that the channels will be restored,” said Ghosh.

Biswarup Mukherjee, another local operator in Behala, said more than 6,000 people in Behala and Garden Reach suffered the blackout.

Sources in the MSO sector said the broadcaster had asked for a tariff hike. “The MSOs were not agreeable to the hike. The cable TV sector is going through a very tough phase. Increasing the charges will cause more problems”.

The stagnation in the local cable market has been linked to a rise of DTH, social media and, especially, OTT platforms, which give consumers a wide range of content options.

“We are trying to reach a solution as soon as possible,” a Hathway official said before the call got disconnected. He did not take subsequent calls.

“We are also on the same page (with other MSOs). OTT platforms are streaming these matches for free. Why would people pay to watch them,” asked a spokesperson for GTPL-KCBPL.  Telegraph