KOLKATA: With just over a fortnight to go for the migration deadline of March 31, more than 70% of Kolkata’s 32 lakh cable TV subscribers have shifted to the new regime. According to multi-system operators (MSO), the majority have accepted the stop-gap ‘best-fit’ plans that were offered to subscribers who had not selected their channels with minor alterations. The rest have opted for packages devised by MSOs and broadcasters. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), which mandated the migration to a la carte, had deferred the deadline twice.“It finally seems that the migration deadline will be adhered to. Across all MSOs, more than 70% have either chosen their channels or accepted stop-gap packages. The rest are filling up their forms at a good pace. The process should be completed within next two weeks,” said Mrinal Chatterjee of MSO Bengal Broadband.Kolkata’s largest MSO, SITI Cable, has claimed to have migrated more than 90% of its 13 lakh subscribers. “It has been a slow and painful process but we are on the verge of a successful migration. Initially, the response had been slow. Then, the process of uploading selected channels took time due to technical reasons,” said SITI Cable director Suresh Sethia.The migration got hastened after MSOs switched off previous packages and replaced them with ‘best-fit’ plans last month. The ‘best-fit’ plan was supposed to be close to the earlier package that a subscriber had but with fewer pay channels. “It acted as a wake-up call since many missed some of their favourite pay channels?. Migration compliance jumped sharply last month,” said Tapash Das of Ideal Cable Operators’ Association. Das, who operates in the Hazra-Harish Mukherjee Road area, claimed that 80% of his subscribers have migrated.MSO Hathway, which has a subscriber base of 18 lakh in Bengal, claimed to have completed the migration earlier this month. “While most have opted for our packages, followed by broadcaster packs, around 10%-15% have chosen to stick to the free-to-air (FTA) channels. Our operators are trying to convince them to add pay channels,” said a Hathway official.MSOs and local cable operators said most subscribers in the city have opted for entertainment and sports channels in their packs. “Both Bengali and Hindi entertainment channels have been at the top of the wishlist. Sports and news channels have been the next most preferred genre, ahead of movie, cartoon and music channels,” said Chatterjee. MSOs, however, pointed out that packages will now be flexible. “Channel switching will now be frequent with subscribers opting temporarily for those which telecast important events. Our operators have been asked to act promptly once a subscriber asks for additions,” said the Hathway official.

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