Raj TV to be free-to-air in metros  ( July '1,2003, HBL)

RAJ Television Network's flagship channel, Raj TV, and Raj Digital Plus will be available as free-to-air (FTA) channels under the Conditional Access System (CAS) regime, which is scheduled to be introduced mid-July in the four metros.

However, they will remain `pay' in non-metros (which won't be covered under the first phase of the CAS rollout), said the media house's CEO, Mr Rajeev Nambiar.

The decision was taken after the television house was assured by officials of Information & Broadcasting Ministry that the dual approach (vis-à-vis metros and non-metros) is not inconsistent with the Government policy, said Mr Nambiar. The Raj network has already communicated its decision to the Ministry in writing.

The driver channels for the Raj Television Network are expected to be FTA only for the short-term ("three-six months"), until there is adequate supply of set-top boxes (STBs) in the market.

It must be recalled that the signals of Raj and Raj Digital Plus were encrypted only during the end of May, and the two channels have, thus, been `pay' only for around a month now.

The television network earned revenues of around Rs 45 crore, last fiscal, 10-15 per cent of which was provided by Raj Digital Plus.