Mumbai: The All India Digital Cable Federation has cautioned advertisers not to run advertisements on Star, Zee, and Sony channels because the three broadcasters have deactivated signals to various independent MSOs because most of them have refused to sign new agreements, which could have resulted in price increases for consumers.

“The recent actions by Disney-Star, Sony and Zee have deprived more than 45 million households across India from watching their channels since Saturday, 18 February 2023. The 45 million homes account for nearly 35 per cent of the pay TV market in India. Are you still getting the reach that you have paid for?,” the federation said in a statement. 

“Your advertisements are not reaching more than 200 million consumers across all states and Union Territories in India for the past three days. More than 46 billion minutes of viewing time are being lost per day across India on the largest cable networks in India including GTPL, DEN, Hathway, Fastway, In Cable, NXT Digital, Asianet, KCCL, UCN and many more. These networks cater to large audiences in HSM as well as South with dominant presence in Punjab/Haryana/Chandigarh/HP, UP/Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, West Bengal/Odisha, Madhya Pradesh/Chhattisgarh, Bihar/Jharkhand, North-East, AP/Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, etc,” the statement added. 

“Take an informed decision when you advertise on any of the channels including Star Plus, Zee TV, Sony Entertainment, Sony Sab, Star Sports, Sony Sports, Star Gold, Sony Max, Zee Cinema, etc. These channels are not being viewed by more than 4,50,00,000 homes translating to more than 20,25,00,000 (20.25 crore) viewers. It is your right to ask for viewership when you’re paying for it,” the statement said.