Give customers the true picture please

Things don't seem to be going Comet's way these days. The June 1st deadline is now fast approaching and there seems to be no response from Comet management regarding the status of their future. Comet will have to switch over by June 1st in order for Dialog Broadband and SLT to launch Wimax services in Colombo and the suburbs.

We are not getting any response from Comet management and we hope that the subscribers are not left in the lurch with an antenna and decoder that does not have any transmissions to receive and only gathers dust.

We hope that Comet will put its subscribers out of their misery by informing them of whether Comet will pursue digital technology or ask subscribers to look for an alternative pay television provider and arrange for some sort of compensation to subscribers. The redesign of the website done earlier is welcome but is not enough to improve subscriber confidence.

At the moment many Comet Subscribers are moving from Comet Cable to Dialog TV or LBN due to the superior picture quality, programming and pricing.

The only good news is that even though "Dialog TV" have been awarded exclusive rights to broadcast the ICC Cricket World Cup it seems that other operators such as Comet Cable are also in with a chance to carry to out the broadcast. Please read "Will the Dialog TV broadcast of the ICC World Cup really be exclusive" for more on this subject.

The Switching Game continues......

Comet Cable is now playing the switching game at a much faster pace. This time Al Jazeera has been replaced by NDTV again.

Lets take a look at one of the switching saga's history.

1. Fashion Tv switches to NDTV
2. NDTV switches to Al Jazeera
3. Al Jazeera switches to NDTV once again

It also seems that some Comet Cable customers have put up their connections for sale on the internet. Comet has to act fast or else it could be the beginning of the end for the pioneer pay television company in Sri Lanka.

Disclaimer : The above was the information that we received last and due to the nature of the switching game, at the point of posting there is a high probability that NDTV may have been switched with another channel.

Highly unlikely to meet TRC deadline

According to the way things are progressing now it is highly unlikely that Comet Cable will be able to convert their broadcasting systems to Digital before the deadline lapses on June 2007. If they are unable to carry out the conversion it is highly likely that they will be unable to continue broadcasting after June.

Comet has been planning their digital crossover for a period of several years and due to their inability to carry out plans it will be very sad if it is the subscriber who will be affected by it.

It is still not too late for Comet but they are not taking any positive steps to convert into digital. For Comet to survive in the market and take themselves higher than the existing operators LBN and Dialog TV will take nothing short of a miracle. Dialog TV introducing corporate packages will only make things more difficult.

Their woes are even made worse due to the problems that they have with the Southern Development Authority which is preventing Comet Cable shares being sold to another party.

At present Comet Cable subscribers are in a dilemma regarding the status of their connections since they may not continue to get the service from the company that they have subscribed to. Many subscribers are contemplating a move to either LBN or Dialog TV.

It is high time for the pioneer pay television provider to wake up and take some positive steps to make sure that subscribers continue to get the service. It is not only enough to continue to provide the service but they should also improve their service and attract more subscribers otherwise the inevitable will happen sooner or later. At the moment it looks like it will happen sooner.

NDTV replaced by Al Jazeera

It seems that Comet Cable is unable to find a proper replacement for Fashion Tv and initially Fashion TV was replaced by NDTV and now it seems that NDTV has given way to Al Jazeera International.

It would be excellent if Comet Cable can find a permanent and proper replacement. It is also said that a scrolling message is saying that it is a test transmission and is asking for comments regarding the replacement.

Comet Cable could introduce SET Max since the ICC World Cup will be broadcast on that channel. We hope that Comet Cable will carry out a survey among its existing customers and introduce a channel that the subscribers want instead of carrying out trial and error testing such as this. Steps should be taken by Comet Cable to telecast the ICC Cricket World Cup to its subscribers who have remained loyal to the company. In addition it is interesting to note that several subscribers are complaining of a drop in the quality of reception in certain areas.

We are awaiting the launch of Comet Digital since the deadline set by the TRC is fast approaching.