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TDSAT directs Zee to provide its 32 channels to Tata Sky

Zee-Turner will have to follow the directive in the next 48 hours

According to a directive by the TDSAT, the broadcast tribunal, Zee-Turner, that distributes Zee and other channels, would have to provide its signal to Tata Sky, the DTH player that was launched on August 8.

Under this, the respondent, Zee-Turner would supply the 32 channels in its bouquet to the petitioner, Tata Sky, within the next 48 hours. TDSAT chairman, Justice Arun Kumar, declared this after accepting Tata Sky’s request. Both have been directed to finish their pleadings before November.

Tata Sky, unlike its earlier stand, requested the tribunal for the directive. This means taking a middle path for both parties involved and fixing a subscription rate in between the price demanded by Zee and its proposed rate.

However, TDSAT rejected Tata Sky’s request to fix the charge by taking a midway and made it clear that Tata Sky would have to pay Rs 75 subscription fee demanded by Zee-Turner for its 32 channels. Meanwhile, the tribunal also said that if the charges were found to be more than Rs 118, the price that Tata Sky is willing to pay, then Zee-Turner would refund the rest of the amount.

Tata Sky believes that the lack of these channels will hurt its viewership, especially when the festive season is due. The loss amounts to Rs 2 crore daily. This is more so when the venture was launched just in August.

Agreeing with the terms and condition put by the TDSAT, Tata Sky says that it is a dilemma, wherein it faces a small price difference of Rs 32 that would run up a sum of a few crore of rupees.

Tata Sky had filed a case against the Zee group in the first week of July, charging it with denial of its channels and putting exorbitant charges. The tribunal had also suggested a friendly agreement across the table between the two.

Currently, Zee-Turner markets its channels in two bouquets. Bouquet one comprises Zee TV, Zee Cinema, Zee Movies, Zee English, CNN, Cartoon Network, CNBC, Trendz, Reality TV, Zee Marathi, Zee Punjabi, Zee Bangla and Zee Gujarati, while bouquet two contains HBO, Vh1, Pogo, Zee

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