The Hindu Business Line : Cable players get into the act, offer set-top box schemes

SOON after the Government brought down the Customs duty on set-top boxes (STBs), multi-system operators (MSOs) and cable operators have started offering various schemes to entice the consumer.

Hinduja TMT's InCablenet has announced a scheme wherein mid-priced STBs imported from Taiwan would be available by paying an initial deposit of Rs 999 and a rental of Re 1 a day.

A similar scheme called the Early Bird scheme is being offered by the Hathway's WinCable, while another scheme called the Regular Scheme makes STBs available at deposit of Rs 2,600 with a rental of 60 paise per day.

Zee Telefilms owned Siticable is offering consumers the option of purchasing a STB at Rs 2,750 (excluding taxes) or renting it.

While one scheme is similar to Hathway's Regular scheme, the other one enables consumers to hire STBs by paying a deposit of Rs 2,000 and a rental of Re 1 day.

Most of the MSOs have decided to offer digital set-top boxes with features such as remote control, smart card, parental lock and are offering these schemes for limited time period.

"The idea is to push the lower priced boxes so that they can reach out to maximum number of households," said the InCablenet spokesperson.

And for those not wishing to acquire an STB, over 50 free-to-air channels are being offered at the basic rate of Rs 72 (plus taxes).

So even as the service providers gear up for a post CAS scenario, broadcasters too seem to be working out their plans. While for the free-to-air channels there will be an increased attention on the cable operator for the pay channels the focus will on the consumer.

"We will have to directly reach out to consumer," said a Star India spokesman, as the consumer has to feel compelled to acquire an STB and pay to watch a subscription channel.

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