At the start of this month, TRAI passed new rules for DTH pricing in India and these rules will be effective from the start of next year. Already, we are seeing ads by the leading networks like Star, Zee etc to buy their channels packs. In the advertisement, they all say to contact your DTH/Cable operator to subscribe to their channel packs. The channel packs of Star and Zee are starting from Rs 49 and Rs 45 respectively, whereas there are many other channel networks whose packs are starting from as low as Rs 8 only.
I did contact my DHT operator, Tata Sky and told them about my confusion. I asked them to clarify me the process to join these channel packs and also told that this facility is still not available on their website (mytatasky.com). The person on the phone told me that they are trying to comply with TRAI order and before 29 Dec 2018, they will update their system. After that, I will be able to select the packs of my choice. Even after this reply, my confusion is still present and I don't know exactly how to deal with this issue.
At this point, it looks that channel platforms are trying to put pressure on the DTH and cable operators. Moreover, there are also reports in leading newspapers that this process is likely to increase the monthly cost of consumers who are currently paying between Rs 200 to Rs 400 per month. The new system may cost as high as Rs 800 in some cases. Though, still, we don't have a clear idea on the present system. I hope that Channel platforms and DTH operator will work together to create a win-win situation for all including the consumers and will clear this confusion soon.