Multi TV Policy Multi TV policy can be one area where the new changes to the Trai tariff regime will make a lot of sense. In the previous iteration of the Trai tariff regime, or the National Tariff Order (NTO), the regulator did not go into much detail as to how the multi-TV services would be priced. But, now with the amendments all defined, now it is specified that the consumers will not have to spend more than 40% of the base NCF which they are paying for the primary connection. This is bound to reduce the pressure on some of the subscribers who are running more than two TVs in their homes with a connection from the same DTH operator. Channel Pack Discount This is one area where the subscribers might feel a little devoid of the benefits. This is because until now, the channel packs or the bouquets were the most discounted offerings from the DTH operator. However, now Trai has said that the channel pack cannot be priced more than 1.5x the amount of the total individual channels. Also, the average price of a channel in a channel bouquet cannot be such that it is lower than one-third of the price of the individual channel. These are the two new rules which will define how the channel packs will be priced from now on. Cap on NCF There was also the matter of additional NCF which used to imply that for every 25 extra channel above the 100 limits of SD channels, the subscribers would have to pay Rs 20 on top of the base NCF of Rs 130. But now, Trai has set the rule that the subscribers will not have to pay more than Rs 160 for accessing all the channels from the DPO. Also, the mandatory DD channels will not be counted in the case of NCF, Trai has said. Effect for Consumers These new rules will come into effect for the consumers starting March 1, 2020, and after that, the subscribers will be able to enjoy better pricing for Multi TV connections. The cap on the channel cap discount, however, will mean that the subscribers will not be able to enjoy as attractive pricing on the channel packs as they used to. The cap on the NCF will be a good move for the subscribers who have got more than 100 channels on their subscription.
