Starry tantrums

It?s one long soap opera that does not seem to have an ending. And nobody would agree more than the viewers of Star bouquet, the channel that has officially been take off from its prime slot but is being beamed clandestinely by the cable operators thanks to their row with the broadcaster.

It’s one long soap opera that does not seem to have an ending. And nobody would agree more than the viewers of Star bouquet, the channel that has officially been take off from its prime slot but is being beamed clandestinely by the cable operators thanks to their row with the broadcaster.

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So if you are not getting Star bouquet on the regular channel on which you had tuned it initially, try searching again. For such is it’s popularity among the couch potatoes that despite giving a call for its boycott because of hike in subscription fee by the broadcasters, the cable operators have been compelled to telecast it even if it means leeching the feed of the channels’ only distributor in the city.

But for how long would the tussle over tariffs continue? Star Plus is the premium channel among the dozen odd channels in its bouquet.

“We are not in a position to pay the additional Rs 22 per connection hike being demanded by the channel’s broadcaster,” said president of the UP Cable Operators’ Welfare Association Anil Upadhyay. Agrees AP Ojha, head of the Cable Sewa Sarakshan Samiti, a consumers’ welfare committee. “These channels already earn a huge revenue from advertisements still they want to burden the consumers,” he said.

Additionally, the broadcaster wants us to give over 80 per cent growth and also pay 10.2 per cent service tax, said Upadhyay adding that all this was a calculated gameplan by the broadcaster, who along with the Tatas were poised to launch their own DTH services in the city soon.