Cable operators, channels at war over KPL telecast

Hike in annual fee bone of contention

The standoff between the cable operators and the sports channels left the cricket lovers in the City high and dry, as they could not watch the live telecast of the much-awaited KPL matches.

The row between the channels and the cable operators began over sudden increase in the annual fee, just ahead of the KPL matches.
Those who refused to show the two sports channels were ACT, Citi Cable, Hathway, Amogh and Digi Cable.

The only cable network showing the two sports channels to its customers in a few parts of the City is - In Cable, said sources in the cable industry.
They added that In Cable is the distributor of the two channels in the State.
The decision to this effect was taken by the Karnataka State Cable Operators Association (KSCOA) in a meeting held on Thursday night.

Meet
A meeting in this regard was again held on Friday where the cable operators decided to spread their movement across Karnataka and then to South India, by roping in cable operators from the southern states.
Speaking to Deccan Herald, State president of the KSCOA Patrick Raju said, it is a practice among some of the sports channels to hike the fees whenever there is a major sports event.

“These sports channels pressurise us to pay more and we in turn are compelled to hike our fees. If the hike is for a short while then we may be able to adjust, but the hike remains permanent. The sports channels earn crores of revenue from advertisement but that is not shared with the cable operators,” said Patrick Raju.
The cable operators are optimistic that some amicable solution may come out soon.