If you are a Tata Play subscriber, there is important news for you. Tata Play has decided to remove all Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) TV channels from the plans of about 10 million (1 crore) subscribers.
The company’s managing director and CEO, Harit Nagpal, told Mint that this process started with one million subscribers on Thursday and will continue over the next 10 days.
Sony Calls Tata Play’s Move Arbitrary and Vindictive
Tata Play is removing all Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) TV channels from the plans of about 10 million subscribers, citing low viewership. However, SPNI has called this decision “arbitrary” and “vindictive.”
Customers are not watching Sony channels
Nagpal said that viewership data shows 40-50% of Tata Play customers subscribe to Sony channels, but only 25% actually watch them. Without detailed data, it’s hard to identify the 75% who pay but don’t watch.
To help these customers save money, Tata Play decided to remove the channels from their plans.
Customers who still want to watch Sony channels can re-subscribe through the app, call centre, or by sending a text message, with reactivation being almost instant.
He acknowledged that this move might affect the company’s revenue, but emphasized that it ensures only those who really want to watch the channels will pay for them.
Sony said this is revenge
In response to Mint’s queries, an SPNI spokesperson said, “SPNI recently learned about Tata Play’s decision to remove Sony channels from the plans of around 10 million subscribers.
This decision seems to have been made without informing SPNI or considering customer preferences.
We believe it is retaliation for exercising our audit rights on Tata Play’s subscriber management system, where we have found several issues over the years.”
The spokesperson argued that Tata Play’s claim of low viewership is misleading. He stated, “We are confident that our loyal viewers, who value diverse and high-quality content, will continue to watch our channels through other platforms across the country.
Our commitment to delivering great entertainment remains strong, ensuring that our viewers never miss out on their favorite shows and channels, despite Tata Play’s actions.”
Tata Play said this
A Tata Play spokesperson said, “Tata Play sends detailed statements from its subscriber management system (SMS) to broadcasters on the 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th of each month. These statements are also regularly audited by TRAI’s authorized auditors, and no discrepancies have been found in any of these audits.”
Tata Play has done this before as well
This isn’t the first time Tata Play has removed channels to lower customer bills, but it is the first time they’ve targeted a specific broadcaster.
In March 2022, Tata Play downgraded the subscription plans for nearly half of its customers, saving each one Rs 30-100 monthly and reducing customer churn.
Customer Bills Will Drop—Nagpal
Nagpal said, “To make things simpler, we decided to remove the channel with the lowest viewership, which is Sony. This will also lower customer bills.”
He explained that removing the channels over 10 days will ease the call centre workload.
The decision is based on data showing that four times more people subscribe to Sony channels than watch them.
“We aim to benefit our subscribers by simplifying the process. Since less than a quarter of subscribers watch these channels, the remaining 75% should save money by not paying for channels they don’t use.”
