Broadbandindia Magazine

Cable TV, Digital Delivery, DTH, IPTV, HITS…
Cable Operators, Tatasky, BIG TV, Dish TV, WWIL…
Who would think that an industry formed by a handful people to deliver different TV content (other than doordarshan) to their neighborhoods by cables hanging over rooftops, would be the nerve centre of activity in modern times for big corporates and the government? Cable TV industry has indeed come a long way…so far now that it’s very own pro-creators face the challenge of being wiped away by new technologies and new players.

The industry now is flooded with innumerable different products, services and players – though, all aimed at providing the best TV viewing experience to the viewers.. Having Cable TV connections for accessing different channels is now not enough. Consumers are spoiled with choices to get the best out of their money’s worth. Value-added services, customer support, digital experience etc have become a priority for users now. Cable TV operators who have been the kings of this industry not a very long time ago, are facing the heat of competition from big players and losing their customer base big time! But no longer, they can continue to be complacent and laidback in their approach. All that is needed for them is to upgrade themselves and restructure themselves to satisfy the increased demands of the clients. In this issue, we have mainly focused on different answers to this issue like moving over to digital cable headend, the concept of quad-play among others. It is the need of the hour for Cable TV operators to go digital and use their experience and strong customer base to sustain themselves in the market. The government also has a vital role to play to protect the interests of operators who have been a part of this industry since the time of its inception. At this point of time, the government needs to formulate policies keeping in mind the future opportunities of thousands of Cable TV operators who still form the core base and serve masses in the country! 

Ramesh Jalan
Publisher
E-mail: rameshkumarjalan@rediffmail.com