Mysuru:  Your television screens will go blank between 8 am and 10 pm tomorrow (Jan.24) with Local Cable Operators (LCOs) threatening a strike to protest the tariff regime to be rolled out on Feb.1. Cable operators are not happy with the revenue-sharing formula prescribed by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and they will switch off cable feeds across South India tomorrow.

Patrick Raju, President, Karnataka Cable TV Operators Association, said: “The new regulation by TRAI is leaving the local cable operators in the dark. There is no proper ground work done to implement the new rules and this is not going to benefit the local cable operators or the consumers.”

He further explained, “Now, as per the new rule the consumer has to pay a basic fare of Rs.130 plus taxes for 100 channels and additional amount for other pay channels. Earlier, subscribers had to pay an amount between Rs.150-300 for 500 channels and now when the new regulation will come into effect, they will have to pay around Rs.300-350 for 50 channels.”

TRAI argues that the new tariff will benefit the consumers. Presently, 150 free channels and over 100 pay channels are available in a single pack of Rs.240. When the new tariff comes into force, consumers will have to pay above Rs.300 for 170 channels, including 20 pay channels.

The cable TV operators complained that it becomes difficult to run the business due to the huge expenditure from payment of electric post rent, salary of technicians, electricity bill and rent.