15.3.12

TV Digitalisation Drive on Track

Major cable TV operators in the country have ordered about 9 million set-top boxes to ensure a smooth transition from analogue television transmission to digital transmission in the four metros by the June 30 deadline. Uday K Varma, secretary, union ministry of information and broadcasting, said at an industry conference that the set-top boxes are expected to arrive this month, allaying industry’s apprehension that the cable operators may not be able to meet the deadline set by the Supreme Court. The deadline for digitalisation in the four metros—Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata—is June 30, 2012, while it is December 31, 2014 for the rest of the country. Parliament had passed the Digitisation Bill in December 2011. Chennai is currently leading the digitalisation race among the four metros as settop boxes are already installed in nearly 100% of the TV households in Chennai.

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