A conditional access system gives the consumer choice over the pay channels that are beamed into his home. At an industry level, it tackles the issue of addressability that has been a problem in India with gross underreporting of cable homes by operators. This has resulted in potential revenue losses for broadcasters. A conditional access system will have two packages bundled in, one the basic free-to-air channels and the second will be the pay channels which will be chosen by the consumer.
How is CAS implemented?
A set-top box will be installed at the consumer’s end. This set-top box will be configuredto receive pre-determined signals from the cable operator’s end. The set-top boxes will have an additional cost that may be shared by the cable operator and the consumer. These boxes may also be rented out by the cable operator to the subscriber. Since these setboxes can be individually monitored, it will be more difficult for cable operators to under-declare subscribers.
What has the Cable TV (Amendment) Bill, 2002 got to do with CAS?
The Cable TV (Amendment) Bill, 2002 amends the Cable Television etworks 1995 to enable the introduction of conditional access systems. The bill deals with the number of free-to-air channels based on the state, city and locality and the government will also work out the subscription charges to be levied on the free-to-air channels. It also sets out broad guidlelines on pricing and implementation of CAS.
Courtesy - Television Point
Sunday, February 8, 2009
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