Subhash rejects digital delays

NEW DELHI: Zee Group chairman Subhash Chandra has urged the Information & Broadcasting ministry to stick to the 30 June deadline for the switchover to digital addressable systems (DAS) in the four metros.

The media baron feels that any postponement of digitisation would “send a wrong signal to the stakeholders as well as investors so far as the policy implementation is concerned”.

Chandra, however, said that even if the government considers extending the date because of non-arrival of digital set top boxes, this should not be more than 60 days.

In the letter which was addressed to I&B minister Ambika Soni, a copy of which is with Indiantelevision.com, Chandra said digitisation should be completed by 30 June in areas which are presently under conditional access system – South Delhi, South Mumbai, South Kolkata and whole of Chennai – which will show the government’s intent in implementing its policy.

Any extension, he said, should be announced only in the last week of June “after detailed deliberations with all the stakeholders so that pace of deployment of STBs is not affected because of any negative sentiments” arising out of any deferment.

“While I appreciate the concerns regarding the availability of STBs, the blanket extension of 5-6 months would adversely affect the STBs off-take and would create a mis-impression in the minds of the stakeholders that Government is not serious in implementing the digitalisation initiative,” Chandra said in the letter.