Popular Indian TV channels broadcasting stopped in Nepal over payment dues. Namely, Star, Zee, Sony, and Colors (ICAST) have gone offline on Nepali TV screens since Thursday, August 01, 2024, over payment disputes.
Nepali service providers state that the TV channels’ broadcast is on hold due to conflicts between broadcasters and distributors.
A key reason has been attributed to Nepal Rastra Bank which hasn’t provided currency exchange recommendations to the service providers. This has led to payments overdue for months which is said to be around Rs 1 billion.
After the channels went down, viewers were notified of the development on their TV screen as well as SMS.
Subisu, one of Nepal’s top ISPs, said, “Because of the financial conflicts between channel broadcasters and distributors, Star, Zee, Sony, and Colors channels are currently unavailable. We are working tirelessly to resolve this issue at its earliest.”
Likewise, IPTV giant NetTV attributed the broadcast disruptions to unexpected issues originating from channel distributors. In the same notice, the company also said that it’s working continuously to restore the channels’ transmission in Nepal.
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MoCIT confirms that Indian TV channels broadcasting has stopped in Nepal
MOCIT co-secretary and spokesman Gajendra Kumar Thakur said that the issue has had to do with the lack of currency exchange services issuance to service providers. He said that they haven’t received such a facility since Chaitra 15, 2079.
But he claimed that if they comply with the laws, the ministry will provide them with currency exchanges necessary for payment.
Earlier, Indian broadcasters had expressed their displeasure at the Nepal government’s implementation of A La Carte for TV channels. But with the government showing no signs of stepping back, they adhered to the new price regulations.
However, Indian broadcasters have remained dissatisfied with the A La Carte structure. This new transmission halt also has that disapproval for a key reason.
On May 02, a similar reason contributed to a shameful internet outage for 6 hours in Nepal. The disruptions were caused by Nepali internet service providers not being able to pay their Indian up-streamers due to not having foreign currency exchange recommendations. Now, the same issue has struck the TV industry.
Do you think a multilateral effort is lacking among the stakeholders for these repetitive mishaps in communication services? The government has big ambitions with digital Nepal but these events don’t reflect that everything is in the right direction. What do you think as a paying customer? The comment section is open to your honest perspective on the matter.
