Sun Struggels Arasu Cable !!!!!!
Arasu Cable Corporation will be offering a bouquet of all the channels in three months, C. Umashankar, Managing Director of Arasu Cable Corporation, said on Thursday. Talking to reporters after meeting the cable operators, Mr. Umashankar said that the objective of the meeting was to ascertain various issues concerning the cable operation. Referring to the refusal by Sun TV network, Sony TV and Star group for giving their signals to the Arasu Cable Corporation, Mr. Umashankar said that the issue was being handled legally. The Corporation was also trying to find out the concept of going in for Voluntary Conditional Access System (CAS). Through Voluntary CAS Arasu cable operators could provide signals of even the pay channels through a set top box. The operators have been informed that they could collect Rs. 2,500 for an outright purchase or could collect a lease rent of Rs. 30 or 35 a month. This would be in addition to the monthly rental of Rs. 100.
Now, the subscribers would have the option of choosing the pay channels of their choice rather than viewing pay channels that were being forced on them. The revenue earned through beaming of pay channels would be used for paying back the loans availed for sourcing set top boxes while the revenue earned out of the free channels would be used for the routine operational costs. In fact, the cable operators i.e., the primary stake holders in Arasu Cable, gave an overwhelming response to the concept of Voluntary CAS. The meeting also resolved to ensure roping in of four lakh connections in one month to ensure a 50 market share in Coimbatore City which accounted for a total of 8 lakh cable connections.
