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NT Bureau
Chennai, Sept 21

        Proving yet again that media developments and political happenings are forever interlinked in Tamilnadu, the formal launch of Sun DTH service today triggered panic among the cable operators, who now see a threat to their future. While in Chennai, where the cable TV is under the thumb of the Sun-backed SCV, there was no disruption in the telecast of channels in the Sun bouquet, elsewhere in the districts angry and anxious cable TV operators blacked out Sun TV telecasts. The over 40,000 strong cable TV operators in the State are now threatening a major showdown with the Sun TV (SCV), and already some of them have been arrested for holding demonstration near the SCV offices in various district headquarters. Evidently, the cable TV operators are closing ranks big time against what they felt was the monopoly of the Sun TV group.

        Though DTH companies are already operational (Tata Sky and Dish TV), the announcement by Sun Direct TV Pvt Ltd for Sun DTH seems to have set the cat among the pigeons simply because the inaugural offer is almost too good to be true. Except for the installation charges, the company is almost giving the DTH equipment at a next to nil cost. And since the DTH platform circumvents the cable operators, they are indeed a very harried lot. 'Out future is now a question mark,' a leading cable operator today told this paper.

        Talking to News Today, Shakilan, president, Tamizhaga Cable TV Operators General Welfare Association, 'this is a straight attempt to monopolise the entire business by the Sun TV group'. Mincing no words, he said that there are over 50,000 personnel involved in this business. Their future is now threatened, he added. Terming the the Sun DTH advertisement as a fake one, he said the cable TV operators would represent to the State government to slap a 'luxury tax' on Sun TV DTH equipment.

        The cable TV operators have also decided to hold protest demos in all the district headquarters on 24 September. They are also veering around to the view of not paying any subscription amount to the Sun bouquet.

        Another leading cable TV operator threateningly said: 'We will set parallel cable TV control rooms wherever the SCV is operational'.

        Media analysts meanwhile point out that the Sun DTH is part of the well thought out plan of the group to retain their stranglehold of the industry in the light of the government planning to enter the cable distribution business.

        Today's recoil from the industry may however force the Sun Group to rechange its strategy.