New TRAI DTH Rules in 2019: Here's How to Choose Packages From Airtel, Tata Sky, Dish TV, D2h, and Others

New DTH rules have come into effect in 2019. To recall, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's (TRAI) deadline for consumers to migrate to plans under the new framework for broadcasting and cable services has now ended. As of February 1, the new DTH rules come into effect, and consumers who haven't migrated now have the option to go to their respective DTH providers' sites to select the channels they prefer, choose a custom package, and pay only for those selected channels. All major DTH providers like Tata Sky, Dish TV, Airtel Digital TV, D2h, Hathway, and more have announced their channel prices under the new TRAI rules, and users can go to their respective websites to make the selection. Alternatively, TRAI has also launched an application that makes the choosing process easy, and offers a monthly tariff rate estimate based on their channel preferences.

Under the new framework, the consumers can either choose free-to-air channels, pay channels, bouquet of pay channels or any combination thereof for the base pack. The base pack without any paid channels will cost just Rs. 130 (Rs. 153.40 after taxes). If a consumer adds any paid channels, they will have to pay the price of that channel. For all those unaware, here's a low-down on how to choose packages from most of the major DTH providers in India.

Tata Sky new DTH plans and packs

Tata Sky was the last to announce its channel prices in India under the new TRAI rules. If you are a Tata Sky subscriber, you can now head over to the company website, application, or their nearest Tata Sky dealer to get help about migrating to the new packs. Tata Sky has also detailed its FTA Basic pack that will be available with all the free-to-air channels, and it can be found here. Also, the DTH operator has listed all the channels along with their prices that will be provided to the users on an al-a-carte basis.

Tata Sky has also notified that users with long duration packs will be migrated to monthly packs starting February 1 and the applicable balance will be credited in their Tata Sky account. Channels provided under the a-la-carte basis will come under genres such as Hindi Entertainment, Hindi Movies, Hindi News, Knowledge & Lifestyle, Music, and Others. There are also various regional channels that consumers will be able to choose from their end. Users must log in to the website using their subscriber credentials or registered mobile number before being able to make any changes.

Dish TV new DTH plans and packs

Dish TV was one of the first DTH operators to announce its channel prices. It published a comprehensive list showing the channel-wise pricing on its service. The operator has also segregated the available channels on its network on the basis of genres, just like Tata Sky. To custom choose your channels, head to the company website or a Dish TV dealer for selection purposes. The website, once you login, lets you select your channels of preference.

It has also highlighted different packs from broadcasters. There are packs such as Hindi HD Premium, Hindi HD Value, and Telugu Value from Star India; Times Bouquet 1 HD and Times Bouquet 2 HD from Times Network; Turner Family Pack and Turner Kids Pack from Turner International; and Happy India 31, Happy India Platinum, and Happy India HD from Sony Pictures Networks.

D2h new DTH plans and packs
Just like the other two, D2h has also provided a link for its subscribers to create their own pack and pay for what they watch. The full list of channels with their prices can be found here. Users will have to use their login credentials before being able to make any changes. Videocon D2h has also segregated channels on the basis of their genres, and offers selection from broadcaster bouquets, a-la-carte, and d2h combo packs as well.

Airtel Digital TV new DTH plans and packs
Airtel has also detailed its FTA Basic pack that will be available with all the free-to-air channels, and it can be found here. Furthermore, broadcaster pack DRPs and a-la-carte prices have been listed here and here, respectively. Users will need to login with their subscriber credentials before being able to choose channels and customise their pack. Head here to get started.

Hathway new plans and packs
If you are a Hathway subscriber, head to the company website and enter your login details. Once successfully logged in, users will have the option to choose between hatchway bouquets, broadcaster bouquets, and a-la-carte options. Once you have reviewed your selection in the cart, you can proceed to checkout for payment completion.

Other DTH operators
Additionally, Den Networks has listed packs, DRPs from various broadcasters, such as Sun TV Network, Discovery, and Disney on its site as well. The packs start from as low as Rs. 4 and go up to Rs. 145. Similar is the case with Siti Cable that has listed different suggestive packs for subscribers wishing to pick a list of paid channels. These packs start from Rs. 52 and go up to Rs. 166. Even Sun Direct was one of the first DTH operators to launch its channel prices. You can head to the respective company websites to login and choose channels of your preference.

We recommend you choose only those channels that you watch. Remember you can add and remove channels at any given time, so be wise in your selection. TRAI has also launched a new Channel Selector Application to help users choose channels and know their monthly rental.