Date:14/06/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/06/14/stories/2008061459671100.htm

Tamil Nadu

Sun TV off air in many households

MADURAI: At least 50 per cent of the subscribers of cable television network in Madurai city are not able to watch the popular channels of Sun TV network, especially the mega serials beamed by them.

A large number of cable operators have moved to the newly-launched multi-system operator (MSO) Royal Cable Vision (RCV) from Sumangali Cable Vision of the Sun TV group, which is refusing to share the signals of its channels.

Except for the free-to-air channels from the Sun TV network, such as Chutti TV and Surya TV, none of the preferred pay channels, such as Sun TV, K TV, Sun Music and Sun News, is being offered to RCV.

“Wherever our operators have switched over to RCV, subscribers, especially women, are pestering them to show Sun TV,” said a cable operator. “Since the channels of their choice are not shown, they will refuse to pay us,” he added.

Sun DTH

Stating that many subscribers might, in the meantime, switch over to Sun Direct, the direct-to-home service from the Sun TV network, the operators fear that they would never get those households back into their cable operation. “If they get used to the superior quality of signals through DTH, they will not come back to us,” they said.