Direct-to-Home operator TataSky has submitted before broadcast tribunal TDSAT that it will continue to provide free signals of ESPN-Star group channels on its basic package till November this year.
"Counsel for the respondent (TataSky) clarifies that the respondent would continue to offer three free channels — ESPN, Star Sports and Star Cricket — to those subscribers who enrolled six months prior to June 1, 2008 up to November 30, 2008," said the TDSAT bench admitting TataSky's submission.
TataSky counsels filed the statement amidst arguments over a petition filed by one West Bengal-based Federation of Consumer Associations.
The company, which had altered its basic package and claimed to have cut the charges by Rs 40 to Rs 260, had removed some prime channels in June this year such as BBC, Ten Sports, ESPN, Star Sports, Star Cricket etc, from its basic package and asked its customers to pay additional fee to view these channels.
However, TataSky, a 80:20 joint venture between Tata and entertainment major Star had to later restore ESPN-Star group channels following the directions of the Delhi High Court.
Later, the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal permitted the company in August to withdraw the channels and reintroduce its add-on package.
The company, which is facing cases filed by consumer organisations before fair trade regulator MRTPC and broadcast regulator TDSAT over removal of channels, submitted before the tribunal's bench headed by Justice Arun Kumar that TRAI guidelines permitted it to reduce the number of channels on its platform.