Rel Jio to offer TV content on any device, anytime

If you are fussy about not missing your daily fix of TV soap opera, you may have reason to cheer. Mukesh Ambaniled Reliance Jio Infocom Ltd, which is scheduled to roll out its 4G cellular network soon, will also offer television on demand on its network.

Jio, through its subsidiary Reliance Jio Media Pvt Ltd, has got a multi-service operator (MSO) licence, and the Jio service will let you view TV programmes any place, any time, with control of content on your remote. No more missing your favourite programme, no more recording on your set-top box.

“Jio will bring true digitisation and a transformation of the current television viewing experience, and mark a shift in the controls from the broadcaster to the hand of the consumer,” Ambani, CMD of Reliance Industries Ltd, said at the recently held 41st AGM of the company.

As an MSO, Jio will become a TV channel distributor in addition to a telecom operator. The timing could not have been better, as sector regulator Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) is set to begin online registration of local cable operators (LCOs). “Where LCOs are not available, RJio Media can become an LCO,” sources who were consulted by RJio on its MSO roll out strategy, told HT.

An MSO is a cable operator who gets programming services from a broadcaster, and under a revenue sharing agreement, transmits them to subscribers directly or through an LCO.

Reliance Jio did not respond to queries for this report.

According to a senior Trai official, “The strategy for converged play is going to be critical to capture this market. Broadcasting … with a broadband strategy is going to be the future for players in the market.”

Competitors in the MSO space include Hathway, Digi Cable Network and DEN Satellite.

Reacting to queries, Hathway’s GM (marketing and communications) Akhil Rampal said, “The market is so diverse that everyone has a big opportunity to tap, be it platforms or even channels… Hathway, the largest MSO (in India), is seeing this as a big opportunity not only from a digital Cable TV perspective but also from a Broadband POV and increasing penetration for this business.”