Comet Cable Forum

More on Comet Saga

2008-09-17T09:47:00.010+05:30

Given below is some information about the Comet Cable Saga that was posted as a comment on this blog several days ago. We are unable to exactly clarify the information stated but the information stated here is in line with what we have received from independent sources. We like to thank our fellow blogger "Rupert" for this information.

Dear Comet Cable Bloggers/Customers,

These are the facts I gathered from various sources about Comet Cable.

Comet Cable started its operation of Pay TV in 1997 with share holders from Australia, Canada & Sri Lanka Govt. (90% Chalmway & 10% SL Govt. owned SDA)Within about 2 years the company ran into financial problems mainly due to embezzlement of funds by the then management. Then shareholders invited the Hettiarachchi Group to invest US $ 500,000/ to bail out the company. In return they were promised the management & shares. Although the management was given they were not given the promised shares. However Hettiarachchi group without informing the share holders issued themselves shares & got into trouble. In 2004 the owning company in Australia, Chalmway filed action against the Hettiarachchi group in Commercial High Court in Sri Lanka. After a bitter battle in courts, Chalmway got the ruling in their favor. They moved into Comet somewhere in July 2005.But since Hettiarachchi group appealed the judgment, the Registrar of Companies refused to validate the Chalmway nominated directors.

Comet was running smoothly till the year 2007 June. James Scobie as CEO was running the company with the help of another Aussie citizen, Gerry Junkeer (Sri Lankan). Also on the directorate was Christopher Rodrigo known as Chris apparently he is also a model & a pimp (who supplies girls to top guys) appears in Dettol TV advert. Suresh Edirisinghe of Auto Court, Chaminda Perera, CEO, Swedish Trading Company, Anton de Alwis, Thilak Baddewela Retd.SSP. Gamini Gunawardena ex-banker.

In June 2007 they sold the company with the licenses to an Indian company called United Telecom Ltd (UTL) for US$ 1.9mil. Then the troubles began.
• Chalmway couldn’t transfer shares because of ongoing cases.(Also they didn’t want to transfer after taking the money)
• Junkeer & Scobie fell out over money. Junkeer has filed cases in Aussie against Scobie’s company. Now they are fighting for their own pound of flesh.
• Indians couldn’t file a case because they had brought in this money illegally to Sri Lanka(They hadn’t declared this money in India)
• Then walks in a man by the name of Rohan Wijetunge, owner of Zanzibar night club, claiming that he has very close connection to the first family, was promised US$ 500,000/ by Scobie & Junkeer to silence Govt owned SDA & other Govt bodies & he has done the job & was not paid. So he is the new owner!!
By this time the management wanted to get rid of some, staff who were not willing to toe the line. First one was to stop the posting on this forum about going digital etc;
In the mean time the company was sinking. All Programmers were not paid. They started to disconnect channels…. one by one. By end December 2007 most of the channels had gone off the air. At this time also Scobie & cronies were trying to sell this company again!!
By then some of the staff got together & started writing appeals to SDA, Labour Dept to intervene but nothing happened. One day this Rohan W. has come into office in a Jeep which belongs to President’s security threatened the staff with death. The staff instead of making an entry, they wrote to the President about this. Immediately the President has taken action. He has never sighted the place after that. But very much in the scene

By Feb/March Hilton Residence (JAIC) cut off the transmission for non payment of their bills. There was hardly any money in the company to pay this amount to Hilton (app Rs.3 mil). Then the staff has found that moneys have been siphoned out by Scobie and his cronies. According to a very well informed source that the amount is close to a staggering Rs.100 mil!. They have got the proof as well. (In fact they have reported this to the CID & collecting more info) The staff hadn’t got their salaries since May this year. Can you’ll believe it. There is 75 staff still!! They have complained to Labour Dept. & they are supposed to be dragging this issue because the staff believe that Rodrigo & Wijetunge have influenced the famous Mervin as he is the Labour Minister !

By end of May things have got really worse. The electricity was cut off as a result no phone lines! (There its Rs.1 mil.). The mobiles were cut off. That’s why we couldn’t contact them. So now the staff comes in small numbers & taking turns. There are few members of the staff who had helped this daylight robbery to take place. I saw a post above; a few names were given with them the HR (Devika) & Accountant (Harshini) & another person by the name of Prasanna are supposed to be involved. This director Rodrigo with Wijetunge have withdrawn moneys that were kept for staff salaries & gratuity (Rs.9.4mil.) They supposed to have forged other directors’ signatures to withdraw money from two banks. Inquiries are on
Same time the staff collectively made a complaint to Bambalpitiya Police regarding electricity, water & other facilities. They only wanted the directors to address their grievances & give solutions. Some came to the Police Station but the main guy Christopher Rodrigo never sighted. Then the Police have reported to Mt.Lavinia Courts.
First day only one director had been present. He was released on a personal bail. On 10th Sept. other directors were present. Rodrigo was not present on this day too. He was warranted. Guys’ next hearing will be on 8th Oct.
I think I must take this opportunity to tell the staff that being a customer for a very long time a very BIG THANK YOU for the services given. All of you’ll are not responsible for this mess. So don’t worry. We are with you guys.

There’s some good news as well. The Hettiarachchi Group has got TV frequencies from TRC & Media license from Media Ministry. They will be launching very soon. Some workers of Comet will get into it as well.

Rupert

Whats happening to Comet?

2008-05-21T15:34:00.003+05:30

The pioneer pay television provider in the country seems to have vanished into thin air after they ceased transmissions a few months back. The subscribers who purchased these connections have been left with the old antenna and the decoder. According to rumors Comet is expecting the arrival of the new management (they have been doing so for several months now) and they are expected to carry on the analog transmission for some time until they go digital once the new management takes over. This information has not been confirmed and at the moment seems like a fairy tale.

Therefore it seems that Comet will not be relaunching in digital mode. None of the subscribers have been compensated for the loss and not even one of the major media organisations are highlighting the plight of these subscribers who have been victims of a well publicized day light robbery.

We hope Comet subscribers will come together to fight for their investment and we are willing to help using this blog but it is upto the subscribers to get together.

Suba Aluth Awruddak Wewa

2008-04-10T08:15:00.002+05:30

We take this opportunity to wish the Management, Staff & Subscribers of Comet Cable services a Peaceful, Happy & Prosperous New Year.

With transmissions halted until the new management takes over we hope that there is a smooth transfer of management control if the management changeover story is true. But many Comet Subscribers are moving to alternate service providers.

We hope that the New Year will be much better for Comet Cable.

Comet may recommence broadcasting

2008-03-27T08:26:00.002+05:30

Pioneer Pay television company Comet Cable may recommence transmission after the Colombo District court issued an enjoining order preventing Union Residencies (Pvt) Ltd., removing Comet Cable satellite dishes from their rooftop.

For the last few weeks Comet tranmissions had ceased and customers were not informed officially of the reason. Customers who were able to contact representatives of the company have been told that transmissions will commence once the new management takes over operations of the company however todays newspaper reveals a totally different side of the story.

Comet is a company that is struggling to stay afloat and an event such as this would deplete its already dwindling financial resources.

Daily News Mar 27th 2008 : Multivision allowed to transmit

The final stages of operation

2008-02-26T10:54:00.003+05:30

It looks like the Comet Cable days are being numbered with all Star Channels, etc being off air the last few weeks. Subscribers are unable to contact anyone for information and it is best that subscribers complain to the TRC and hopefully some newspaper will take steps to highlight the Comet Cable scam.

Now it is obvious that the Comet Digital announcement was a total lie. The Website has not been updated and it seems that it is 99% finished. News that Dialog has purchased Comet Cable is false and maybe another tactic by the down trodden company to retain subscribers.

The best course of action is for subscribers to refrain from paying monthly rentals. Many subscribers are moving to Dialog TV, LBN, etc. It looks like very soon this blog will have to be renamed "Late Comet Cable Forum".

Star Package may go off air

2008-01-31T08:29:00.000+05:30

According to reports being received the Star Package channels are in danger of being removed from Comet Cable since messages are being flashed across the screens regarding non payment of dues by Comet Cable to Star Television.

The message reads as follows "THIS CABLE NETWORK HAS LARGE PAYMENTS DUE AND LIABLE FOR DISCONNECTION". If the Star Package is also removed due to non payment there will be a large percentage of free to air channels in comparison to the pay channels. This will leave Comet subscribers paying their rentals just to watch free to air channels. Some have decided not to pay their rentals until the problems are rectified and we believe that many others will follow if this continues.

After the initial disruption to Cinemax and HBO a few weeks ago it was restored and then Cinemax was taken off air and replaced with NHK which was later replaced with Al Jazeera. We are unable to confirm whether Cinemax has returned.

Please keep us updated on the latest on Comet Cable and the situation regarding the Star Channels as the days progress.

Cinemax OUT - NHK IN

2008-01-23T11:09:00.000+05:30

The above is true according to the last piece of information received and maybe Cinemax has returned but we are unable to confirm it. This is no doubt leaving Comet Cable subscribers frustrated. We are not in anyway implying that the other operators in Sri Lanka are 100% perfect since it is not true, but Comet seems to be on the wrong side many times now and are also not communicating with their subscribers which makes matters worse.

All what we can tell to anyone planning to buy Comet Cable is to avoid doing so since things are very shaky over there. Channels disappear mysteriously and reappear as mysteriously as they disappeared.

It is sad though that the pioneer pay television broadcaster in Sri Lanka may be no more in the near future. Hopefully some big newspaper can pick up on this story and lay the facts bare for all to read.

Please keep us updated on the latest regarding Comet Cable as the days progress.

The On & Off Game

2008-01-16T12:23:00.000+05:30

The last month or so have been turbulent for the Comet Cable subscribers. The sports channels that went off air have not returned but HBO and Cinemax have returned on almost the same day that they went off air. In addition Hallmark also went off air and was returned.

Customer Care and Management are ever so silent. Subscribers are being robbed of their entertainment by these frequent interruptions.

Those who are contemplating buying a Comet Cable connection should think long and hard before doing so.

Please keep us updated on the latest regarding Comet Cable as the days progress.

Comet Cable in a mess! Subscribers beware

2008-01-07T11:47:00.000+05:30

After months of speculation about the future of Comet Cable it seems that the company is finally breaking up under immense mismanagement and heavy competition.

According to reports being received by us Chalmway and James Scobie have sold the company to an Indian company without disclosing the court dispute with the Hettiarachchi family. Therefore now since the Indian company has found out about the disputes in Comet Cable they released the rumor regarding the Digital conversion several months ago to keep subscribers paying on time and recover as much as possible their losses from purchasing Comet Cable. We got these reports sometime ago but could not verify the authenticity but now the way the things are progressing it is now more clear to us and we are releasing this information for the benefit of Comet subscribers and anyone planning to purchase Comet Cable.

What will happen to the company once the Indians realize that they cannot recover anymore is left to be seen? This would explain why the channels keep going off air and are not returned. It is now time for Comet subscribers to protect their investment otherwise they will be kept in the dark until the day Comet Cable closes and the new management pulls out of Sri Lanka.

We hope that some major newspaper in Sri Lanka will do some investigation into this story and expose these Indians and the James Scobie-Chalmway involvement. Comet Cable under any management is answerable to their subscribers and it is now the subscribers who must take steps and take this company to task.

Please keep us updated on the status of Comet Cable as the days progress as it seems that this year is a crucial year for this company and its subscribers.

HBO & Cinemax removed from Comet Cable

2008-01-07T11:37:00.000+05:30

From January 3rd the HBO and Cinemax channel were taken off from Comet Cable. This follows the removal of the Sports Channels in December. According to Comet the sports were to be reintroduced in early January but so far this has not been the case.

It seems that Comet Cable is now facing a severe crisis and we hope that they can do something to rejuvenate the company other the subscribers will be left in a lurch.

We request our bloggers to update us as soon as the channels return or more channels are taken off air.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

2007-12-23T20:59:00.000+05:30

We like to take this opportunity to wish our Bloggers, the Management and Staff of Comet Cable "A Very Merry Christmas" and "A Happy New Year 2008".

We hope that Comet Digital becomes a reality at least in 2008. Please keep us updated on the latest on Comet Cable as the days progress and into the new year.

Comet Cable crashing?

2007-12-10T14:19:00.000+05:30

Comet subscribers are being greatly inconvenienced by the sudden removal of further channels from their lineup. The subscribers are being robbed of their hard earned money by the removal of many top notch channels and replacing them with some lower quality channels but are still paying the same rental for lower quality channels.

Ten Sports is off air on Comet Cable and it seems that Comet Cable is saying that there is a problem with Ten Sports transmission but there are no problems with the reception on either Dialog TV/LBN.
Cartoon Network went off air and has been replaced with Nick.
Star Sports has been replaced with some low quality channel.
Ten Sports replaced with DD Sports.
ESPN has been taken off air.
Animal Planet is also off air.

We hope that the management of Comet Cable will take steps to rectify the problems. We urge Comet subscribers to group together and approach the company without letting them rip off subscribers on such a huge scale. One or two channels going down can be excused but not an entire group of top notch channels.

Please keep us updated on the latest on Dialog TV as the days progress.

Comet in trouble?

2007-12-04T12:22:00.000+05:30

According to information being received by us Comet Cable has removed all Sports Channels from its lineup. It all started with the replacement of Ten Sports with Star Cricket and now all Sports Channels are gone. According to information when Customer Care is contacted they say that none of the sports channels will return during the course of this month. Information also suggests that the sale of Comet Cable to the Indian management failed due to the present legal battles that the company is involved in.

The digital plan that was announced via the website has now become stale news and many are now questioning the real motive behind this announcement. The opinion is that Comet Cable has made this announcement in order to prevent the loss of subscribers to Dialog TV/LBN Digital.

Confusion reigns among the subscribers with channels going off air and the announcement of Comet Digital. We hope Comet Cable management will take immediate steps to rectify the problems.

Comet Digital/Dreams

2007-10-19T11:15:00.000+05:30

It is now two months since the latest round of "Comet Digital" rumors started and well nothing has happened so far. We are having doubts whether this was all started by Comet Cable to prevent the loss of subscribers to either Dialog TV/LBN/Dish TV or some small cable operator in your area which has more channels than Comet Cable for a lesser cost.

There has been no official communication from Comet Cable regarding this. Nothing regarding the new owners. Everyones in the dark, even their employees probably don't know what is going on. Several years ago a rumor like this started and the website was updated with digital plans but nothing materialized. Will it be the same this time, well only time will tell? To be fair we should also take into account that deploying a digital network and getting it up and running is no simple task however with no visible progress things don't seem to be that good.

We hope that Comet Management will reveal who they are first and then officially unveil their digital plans with a time frame so that subscribers who are frustrated and want to make a switch would be retained.

Please keep us updated on the latest on Comet Cable as the days progress.

Officially proposed channel lineup

2007-09-20T08:49:00.000+05:30

Comet Cable has officially released their proposed channel lineup for their digital service on their website (Link: Proposed Channel Line Up). They have also said that they will include value added services along with high speed internet services. Given below are the proposed channels on Comet Cable as per their website.

Movie
HBO
HBO Signature
HBO Hits
HBO Family
Cinemax
Star Movies
Hallmark
Z Studio

Sports
ESPN
Star Sports
Star Cricket
Neo Sports
Neo Sports Plus
Ten Sports

English Language Entertainment
Star World
AXN
Discovery Travel & Living
Australia Network
Z Cafe

Children
Cartoon Network
Nickelodeon
Disney
Toon Disney
Chutti TV

Education
Discovery Channel
Animal Planet
National Geographic Channel
History Channel

Music & Fashion
Channel V
Music TV
VH1
Z Trendz

News
CNN
BBC World
Channel News Asia
Bloomberg
Al Jazeera
NDTV 24X7
NDTV Profit

Religious
God TV
EWTN
Islam

Tamil
Ktv
Sun TV
Star Vijay
Jaya TV
Podhigai
Win TV
Sun Music
SS Music
Raj Digital Plus
Raj TV

Hindi
Star Gold
Star Plus
Z Cinema
Zee TV
Zoom

Other
ETV
Star Chinese
TVM
Pakistan TV
NHK
Surya TV
TV5 Monde
Arirang TV
DW-TV

+ Local Channels

The above list has a few additional channels to the list that was posted by us a few weeks back under the post titled "Probable channel lineup on Comet Digital".

Digital testing to commence today?

2007-09-19T09:02:00.000+05:30

According to unconfirmed reports it seems that Comet Cable is commencing Digital testing from today September 19th 2007. The announcement is said to have been scrolled during the Australia vs Pakistan Twenty20 match last night.

We hope that anyone who is able to confirm this information would comment here. At the time of posting this article there is no information on the Comet Cable website regarding this digital testing.

Initial reports did indicate that Comet Digital will be launching by September/October however no official announcement has been made yet.

Will it be this month?

2007-09-06T09:04:00.000+05:30

Comet subscribers are eagerly expecting the launch of Comet Digital which was initially rumored for this month. Comet Management has not made any official announcement regarding the launch dates as yet however we are lead to believe that they may be carrying out testing which is probably resulting in some channels being taken off air from Comet Cable.

There may be chances that the launch may be postponed to October but in any case the launch will not be a commercial one initially, since they will first concentrate on converting their existing subscribers to digital.

We hope that Comet management will make an official announcement regarding their digital plans and would officially release the names of the channels that will be on the new platform.

We take this opportunity to request our fellow bloggers to strictly adhere to the rules set out for comments that are listed at the bottom of the right hand column under the title "Commenting Rules". In addition we have also disabled Anonymous commenting which means that anyone who wants to post a comment will require to get a Blogger Account.

Please keep us updated on the latest on Comet Cable as the days progress.

Probable channel lineup on Comet Digital

2007-08-31T10:44:00.000+05:30

We have received information on the probable channel lineup of Comet Digital. The soft launch is expected to be held in September/October.

1. HBO
2. HBO Signature
3. HBO Hits
4. HBO Family
5. Cinemax
6. Star movies
7. Hallmark
8. Z Studio
9. ESPN
10. Star Sports
11. Star Cricket
12. Neo Sports
13. Neo Sports Plus
14. Ten Sports
15. Star World
16. AXN
17. Discovery Travel and Living
18. Australia Network
19. Z Cafe
20. National Geographic Channel
21. The History Channel
22. Discovery Channel
23. Animal Planet
24. Cartoon Network
25. Nickelodeon
26. Disney Channel
27. Toon Disney
28. Channel V
29. VH1
30. Chutti TV
31. MTV
32. Z Trendz
33. CNN
34. BBC
35. Channel News Asia
36. Bloomberg TV
37. Al Jazeera
38. NDTV 24x7
39. NDTV Profit
40. GOD TV
41. EWTN
42. An Islamic Religious Channel
43. KTV
44. Sun TV
45. Vijay TV
46. Jaya TV
47. Poodigai
48. WIN TV
49. Sun Music
50. SS Music
51. Raj Digital Plus
52. Raj TV
53. Tamil Box Office
54. Star Gold
55. Star Plus
56. Z Cinema
57. Zee TV
58. Zoom
59. TVM
60. NHK
61. Suriya TV
62. TV5 MONDE
63. Arirang
64. DW-TV
+ Local Channels

There are a few more channels that have to be added onto the list and we will add them as we receive more information. The lineup is a mix of English, Tamil and Hindi Channels. We are not sure of the feeds (Asian/Indian) that will be available but it is likely that it is the same feeds given by the other pay television companies in Sri Lanka which is a mixture of Indian and Asian feeds.

Please keep us updated on the latest on Comet Cable as the days progress.

Comet Digital Officially announced on website

2007-08-29T10:24:00.000+05:30

Comet Cable have officially announced the launch of Comet Digital on their website http://www.cometcable.com/ plus some of the things we can expect from "Comet Digital". Rumors indicate that the soft launch of Comet Digital will take place in September. Initially the existing subscribers are expected to be converted onto the digital platform before promoting it to attract new subscribers. According to sources Comet will actively promote Comet Digital to attract new subscribers from December onwards but if all goes well they may do this earlier.

Comet Digital is expected to contain the following features

60 Channels.
Free Digital Decoder
Same Antenna
No Change in Subscription
Razor Sharp Pictures
Lifelike Surround Sounds

Comet is also planning to include an Electronic Programme Guide as well as increase the number of channels to above 60 as they roll out their digital system. What is interesting is that the present antenna will be retained but the decoder will be changed free of charge for existing subscribers. The subscription will also not be increased at the moment. Certain Comet Subscribers would certainly like to reduce the height of their existing antenna since it is very high, we hope that Comet will take steps to reduce the height of the existing antenna once the digital system is in place. However if line of sight is a must then this may not be possible. Comet should also take steps to increase the coverage of Comet to cover more regions in Sri Lanka.

The launch of Comet Digital will certainly add value and increase competition in the pay television industry which is at present limited to Dialog TV and LBN.

Please keep us updated on the latest on Comet Cable as the days progress.

September is close at hand

2007-08-24T11:10:00.000+05:30

So with only a few days to go for the month of September it seems that many subscribers are looking forward to the launch of Comet Digital. At the moment there is no publicity is being carried out regarding the launch of Comet Digital. There is some information that suggests that the digital launch has been delayed but we are unable to confirm this and this time it looks like Comet is on track for the digital launch. However anything is possible since this has not been publicized as yet.

According to information received last it seems that Discovery Channel has gone off air on Comet Cable for the second time this year, but we are not sure whether it has returned and we hope that our readers will be able to shed some light on this.

We hope that Comet will publicize its plans for the digital launch and announce the official launch date soon. Hopefully Discovery Channel went off air due to some upgrading being done in relation to the digital launch and not some petty payment issue.

Please keep us updated on the latest regarding Comet Cable as the days progress.

What can we expect when digital comes

2007-08-08T10:07:00.000+05:30

And if it does come and when it comes, then Comet subscribers will get a much better service than they are getting now, which is stating the obvious.

By going through the comments on the blog it seems that subscribers are raising questions about the new digital service.

Will a Dish replace the tall antenna?
Highly unlikely since Comet we believe would opt for DVB-T (Digital Video Broadcasting - Terrestrial) instead of DVB-S (Digital Video Broadcasting - Satellite presently used by Dialog TV). We are not sure whether the antenna will need to be at the present height though but since DVB-T also needs line of sight the height may remain the same. You may not have to use the same antenna and they might change it to a new one but if the antenna is kept the change over to digital from analog will be cheaper.

Will their be a limitation in capacity?
Yes, since they are operating on a wireless frequency they will be having limited capacity and will be able to carry only a certain number of channels per frequency but this can be overcome by adding other frequencies to expand. This is not only for Comet the same limitation exists with Dialog TV too since they can only add a limited number of channels per transponder and they also expand by adding new transponders and adding channels to the other frequencies. The operator who has the highest bandwidth at the moment and can expand without adding anything is LBN since they are operating on DVB-C (Digital Video Broadcasting - Cable). We are not sure how the limitations works for digital services over copper cables and we hope that someone can enlighten us on this.

What are the new features?
Electronic programme guides, Internet Access, Movie on Demand, Pay per view and a whole host of others. These are the general features but it depends on what Comet decides to implement and what not to not to implement but according to a website they had earlier for Comet Digital some of these services were listed.

Will there be rain fade?
Not sure but it is highly unlikely

The above is from the information that we gathered from external sources and it was not supplied by Comet Cable. We are not technicians and not experts in DVB-S, DVB-C, DVB-T and if there are any factual errors please highlight them to us.

Comet Digital according to the rumors is expected to launch in September 2007 and we would like our fellow bloggers to keep us updated on the latest on Comet as the days progress.

Star Cricket introduced

2007-08-06T09:37:00.000+05:30

Comet Cable became the second pay television operator behind LBN to introduce Star Cricket on their platform according to unconfirmed sources. The introduction was carried out during the weekend at the expense of removing VH1/MTV. We believe that the channel that was replaced will return to Comet once they launch digital operations.

Star Cricket which is part of the ESPN Star Sports package is a dedicated 24 hour cricket channel which has the rights for some of the major ICC cricket tournaments over the next 11 years. The addition of Star Cricket is welcomed by many Comet Cable subscribers.

We are receiving conflicting reports regarding Comet Digital and we hope that the management of Comet Cable will make an official statement regarding the launch of Comet Digital. We hope that the Comet Digital campaign is not being carried out in order to retain subscribers from switching over to LBN or Dialog TV since they have an impressive lineup of channels and Dialog TV have launched the Star Package and are expected to launch Star Cricket within the next few days.

Please keep us updated on the latest developments regarding Comet Cable as the days progress.

More on Comet Digital Plans

2007-08-02T10:07:00.000+05:30

Rumors indicate that Comet will be launching Digital Services by September 2007. Comet is not giving any information regarding the new channels or subscription rates and connection rates but it seems that after several years of being delayed Comet Digital will be a reality soon. We also received a scanned copy of the Comet Newsletter and we are publishing it below for your reference. We hope that will also not get stretched like any of the previous announcements. If this becomes a reality, there will be three companies (Dialog TV, LBN and Comet Digital) vying for the spot of leading cable television operator in Sri Lanka and soon they will be joined by SLT IPTV. All this will mean that the subscriber will reap the benefits from the competitive offers.

Comet unveils digital plans?

2007-07-31T15:35:00.000+05:30

According to unconfirmed sources it has come to our notice that Comet Cable has revealed their digital plans along with their August schedule. We are however unable to confirm this and we request any Comet Subscriber to scan the information and email it to tvradiosrilanka@yahoo.com as soon as possible.

If this is true then it is great news for Comet subscribers and also for subscribers of other operators since increased competition would mean a better deal for the subscriber.

Discovery Channel, Animal Planet return

2007-07-19T08:28:00.000+05:30

Discovery Channel and Animal Planet have returned to Comet Cable according to unconfirmed sources. We believe that this was a payment problem and it seems that they have sorted it out. We hope that this does not happen again and all the renegotiation and payment are made before the contract expires. We are unable to confirm who the new owners of Comet Cable are. As soon as we have the information we will update this blog with it.

Comet is facing some severe competition from the likes of LBN and Dialog TV and soon competition will come from SLT IPTV. Comet should upgrade their broadcasting technology and provide their subscribers with a better choice.

Discovery Channel, Animal Planet now off air

2007-07-11T15:41:00.000+05:30

It seems that Discovery Channel and Animal Planet are now off air on Comet Cable. According to reports received it seems that Customer Service is saying that they are in process of negotiating with Discovery Communications and the problem will be solved in about two days.

We hope that Comet stream lines their renegotiating process so that the channels are not taken off air during the negotiations. It looks like Comet has not paid their dues to Discovery either which is why the channels have been taken off air otherwise there is no need to take the channels off air to negotiate. We hope this is solved soon.

Please update us on this latest development on Comet Cable.

Star Package Back? Reason for disconnection - non payment

2007-07-06T08:28:00.000+05:30

Unconfirmed reports say that the Star Package has returned to Comet Cable from last night. We hope that some of our bloggers will be able to confirm this to us.

Anyway the reason Comet Cable lost the Star Package is confirmed as non-payment of dues. According to information obtained from a source who wanted to remain anonymous, we are able to confirm this. The emails forwarded to us by this source out of which we have copied one below without revealing the names and email addresses, gives us the whole story. According to the email received last afternoon the discussions are continuing but it seems that things have worked out by last night. This is indeed great relief to the subscribers of Comet Cable.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: XXXXXXX (STAR India) < XXXXXXX@in.startv.com>

Date: 05-Jul-2007 14:54
Subject: RE: FW: STAR distribution
To: XXXX <XXXX@gmail.com>

Dear Mr. XXXX,

We are close to finalizing the deal with Dialog TV and STAR services would be on shortly.

With regard to Comet Cable, we have deactivated our services to them on account of large outstanding and non-payment of our dues. We are in discussion with them and hopefully the same would be resolved shortly.

Regards,
XXXXXXX

Comet Cable please clarify

2007-07-05T09:48:00.000+05:30

It is being several weeks since Star Plus, Star World and Star Movies was taken off air from Comet Cable. Assurances were made that the channels will return on June 2nd but as of now nothing has happened.

Several subscribers may not pay their subscription this month and many are contemplating a move to either LBN or Dialog TV. The Star Package and Ten Sports is what kept many existing subscribers from making the move, but Dialog TV have already acquired Ten Sports and will be introducing the Star Package during the course of this month or next. LBN too have the Star Package but no Ten Sports and it is not that Comet Subscribers have no choice. So if Comet does not reintroduce the channels then we may see the end of this company.

OR has the end already begun with the disappearance of Star Movies, Star Plus and Star World. We hope that Comet Cable Management will take immediate steps to rectify the situation.

First Star Movies, Star Plus and now Star World off air

2007-06-29T09:29:00.001+05:30

Comet Cable the pioneer pay television company in Sri Lanka which is now in the hands of new owners who have not being identified as yet, has lost Star World on their lineup.

Initially a few days ago, Star Plus, Star Movies and Star World were taken off air and reports suggest that they were disconnected due to non payment. However on the same day Star World returned and rumors were that this channel was being telecast illegally via a Tata SKY connection that is owned by Comet Cable. However on Wednesday June 27th 2007 Star World was also taken off air and has not returned as yet. Many subscribers who had called the company had been told that Star World will return by last evening and according to reports reaching us, as of this moment the article is being posted Star World and the other two Star channels are not available.

We urge the new management of Comet Cable to carry out a press release regarding this situation and take immediate steps to bring relief to the subscribers of Comet Cable.

What is happening no Star Movies, Star Plus yet?

2007-06-25T10:33:00.001+05:30

We are receiving reports that Star Movies and Star Plus are still not yet available after they went off air on June 21st. According to initial reports Star World is being telecast via Tata SKY which is not legal but we wonder why they do not do the same with Star Movies and Star Plus. One reason could be because the Star Movies that Comet Cable shows is the East Asia feed but Star Movies on Tata SKY is the Indian feed. Maybe the same reason applies for Star Plus. Hopefully a Comet Subscriber could enlighten us whether they were receiving the Indian feed of Star Plus or some other feed. Star World would not have been a problem for Comet Cable since the feed they telecasted is the same Indian feed that is being carried by Tata SKY.

Comet Cable had promised its subscribers that the problem will be sorted out within the day but so far nothing has happened. At the moment they seem to be telecasting some DD Hindi channels as a replacement.

Comet Cable has to get its act together soon since rival pay television provider Dialog TV have signed up with Star and will be providing their channels by the end of this month. For Comet to survive Comet Digital is a must or else they will be fighting a loosing battle since more competition is in the horizon from SLT IPTV and a probable expansion of LBN Digital services.

Star Movies, Star Plus off air?

2007-06-22T09:13:00.001+05:30

From yesterday we are receiving news reports that the Star TV channels are not operational on Comet Cable anymore. It seems that initially Star Movies, Star World and Star Plus were taken off air but then Star World returned but Star Movies and Star Plus did not return.

According to unconfirmed information seems that due to non payment of dues the channels have been disconnected and it seems that Star World is being telecast via a Tata SKY connection that is owned by Comet Cable. Customer Service says that due to a technical problem the channels Star Movies and Star Plus have been taken off air.

We are unable to ascertain the true cause and the above is from unconfirmed sources. We hope that our fellow bloggers will be able to update us via comments on the true cause of the channels being taken off air.

Comet Cable shares sold

2007-06-19T12:51:00.000+05:30

According to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald of June 12th 2007 it is said that Ultrapay Limited has sold its share in Multivision that is owned indirectly by its subsidiary Chalmway.

The proceeds of the sale, a profit of nearly Aus $ 1.2 Million have been received by Ultrapay/Chalmway. There is no indication on who the buyer is. It is surprising that no Sri Lankan business report carried this information.

Please read the links given below.

Please update us the latest regarding Comet Cable such as who the buyer is and other related information as the days progress.

About Ultrapay - http://finance.google.com/finance?q=ASX:ULT
Announcement - Ultrapay sells share

PDF Document Detailing the Sale - Download Page

For those who cannot download, the PDF document reads as follows

UltraPay today announces that it has sold its share in the Sri Lankan Pay TV business indirectly held by its subsidiary Chalmway Pty Ltd. The sale will result in a A$1.2m profit on the transaction in the current half year. The sale terms were unconditional and sale proceeds have been received. The profit received on the sale of the Chalmway business was at the top end of our expectations. It is a pleasing outcome given the considerable uncertainty surrounding the sale and the difficult environment of Sri Lanka, Michael Boyd, Chairman of UltraPay Limited stated. The funds from this sale will provide the capital required for the London taxi mobile payments rollout and allow us to focus on the growth of this business The technical and commercial pilots have progressed extremely well, and we expect to be able to rollout in volume from October he added. The Company is also making progress toward the sale of the remaining holding in its other non-core business Telcogames. The anticipated cash return from this sale
should be in excess of $1.5m. Strong interest in the Companys mobile payments system from a number of European, Asian and South American countries provides further good growth opportunities for the Company.

Comet still continues........

2007-06-04T09:41:00.000+05:30

Comet is still live and kicking, and is great news for those who thought that Comet may loose some of its frequencies on June 1st but as of now everything seems good and hopefully it will stay that way. Even we were under the impression that on June 1st something may happen since Comet was not replying to our emails either.

Now since the day has passed without any incident it is best for Comet Cable to get their digital transmissions off the ground and start competing with the rest of the pay television operators in Sri Lanka.

We hope Comet Cable management will confirm to us the date of their digital launch.

We hope that Comet Subscribers will make use of this forum to exchange ideas instead of concentrating on accusing and fooling other pay television operators and hopefully subscribers of other pay television operators will stay away from this forum.

Mixed information flowing in

2007-05-15T12:08:00.000+05:30

With the deadline of June 1st for releasing some of its frequencies for Wimax services fast approaching, we are getting mixed information about the future of Comet Cable. Comet Cable has not taken any steps to reply our emails regarding their future plans or what the future holds for their subscribers.

Some reports indicated that a message was flashed across the Star Package on channels such as Star World, Star Movies, Star Plus on Comet Cable saying "THIS CABLE NETWORK HAS LARGE PAYMENT DUE AND LIABLE FOR DISCONNECTION" on May 7th/8th. We are unable to verify the accuracy of the said message.

Subscribers have informed us that they have received the programme guides for the month of May. What we understand is that Comet Cable will have to release a certain segment of its frequencies for the Wimax services and have therefore been asked to convert to digital to continue serving customers. What Comet may do is release those frequencies and drop some channels and continue on the remaining frequencies until they convert to digital. We are not sure whether this possible and a knowledgeable person in this field is welcome to give his/her thoughts.

Anyone with a better knowledge on this subject of the Wimax frequencies and the Comet frequencies is welcome to email us or make a comment regarding this matter.

Comet Cable's silence is suspicious

2007-03-28T09:29:00.000+05:30

Comet Cable has not answered any of our questions on the questionnaire (see post on March 9th 2007) that we emailed them. We were able to get replies from LBN and Dialog TV for some questions that we emailed them and they were posted in their respective blogs several weeks ago but Comet has been keeping quiet and the excuse given by Mr. Harold is that relevant management personnel have been forwarded the questions and that the reply has not been received as yet from them.

One of the contentious issues that we raised is regarding the June 1st deadline by the TRC and the future of Comet Cable.

According to the present situation we are forced to come to the conclusion that June 1st may indeed be the end for Comet Cable. If that were not so then we do not see a need for Comet Cable to delay answering our questions.

Comet Cable telecasted SET Max illegally?

2007-03-16T11:04:00.000+05:30

We are getting unconfirmed reports that Comet Cable actually started telecasting the match between Sri Lanka and Bermuda only to abruptly stop it later on. The live telecast is supposed to have been broadcast using a SET Max feed obtained from Indian DTH service Tata SKY. According to reports a crawler on the screen inserted by Tata SKY appeared warning against unauthorized rebroadcasting of the feed which was apparently censored by Comet Cable sometime later. Several customers had called Comet Cable regarding the censorship and after about an hour later the live telecast was stopped and VH1 was back on instead of the match.

We hope Comet will not resort to practices such as illegal rebroadcasting but will legally try to obtain rights and telecast the matches live. Illegal broadcasting will only result in Comet Cable falling into a further financial mess with all the legal action that can be brought against them in addition to the unstable financial situation of the company.

It should be noted that not only is the live telecast illegal but Comet is also possessing an illegal Tata SKY connection.

The claimed Press Briefing

2007-03-16T10:18:00.000+05:30

Comments have been appearing on this blog claiming that Comet Cable carried out a press briefing to announce the launch of their DTH service in September and also announce the acquisition of the exclusive broadcast rights to the Rugby World Cup.

We have been checking on this claim since the first comment appeared and we state that we have not been able to obtain any confirmation from any source leading us to believe that no press briefing of this nature took place and that the comment was placed to mislead the Comet Subscribers. Even today's newspapers did not carry any reference to any press briefing of this nature.

If any press briefing took place we will definitely report it and if anyone has independant confirmation of the press briefing we would like them to email the press release to us on "tvradiosrilanka@yahoo.com" so that we can make a post based on it.

Certain bloggers have raised concern why Comet did not telecast the match yesterday. The reason is that Comet will only telecast the matches broadcast by DD and a schedule of the matches to be broadcast by DD can be obtained on the post below this one.

The telecast and no telecast of the World Cup

2007-03-15T09:33:00.000+05:30

It has been reported that Comet Cable carried broadcasts of the ICC World Cup match between West Indies and Pakistan on the 13th and we believe that this broadcast was done via DD Sports. We have also got reports that yesterdays matches were not telecast over Comet Cable which maybe because DD Sports did not telecast the match.

For a list of all matches being telecast by DD Sports please click here.

All Comet subscribers would be able to watch the matches that are listed in the above link but most of the matches are mainly involving India and a few involving non Indian matches.

Special request to Comet Bloggers

2007-03-14T10:07:00.000+05:30

We would like to request all Comet Bloggers to keep their discussions focused on Comet Cable and on how it can improve itself. This is not a blog for commenting about other pay television providers and insulting them.

We also request bloggers from the other forums not to post unnecessary comments here.

Please note that if this continues further we may be forced to remove the commenting option which will eventually mean that bloggers will not be able to share any information on this blog.

We would also like to urge the management of Comet Cable to reply to the email that we have sent them.

Thank You
Admin

Awaiting Comet Feedback.......

2007-03-09T10:01:00.000+05:30

On the same basis of the interviews that we carried out with LBN and Dialog TV we sent an email to Comet Cable requesting to reply to a couple of questions that we raised with them. The email was sent on Wednesday 28th February and on a subsequent reminder on 5th March we received a reply from Mr. Harold on 7th March saying that the questions have been passed on to the relevant authorities for clarifications and as soon as the reply is received we will get the answers for our questions. We hope that we receive the reply soon since it is now over one week since we submitted these questions.

Given below are the questions that we forwarded to Comet Cable.

1) On Dec 15th 2006 the SDA published a notice citing non payment of dues by Comet Cable. They also said that they will not allow the transfer of Comet Cable shares and also withdraw the license if the outstanding is not settled. Has this matter been settled.

2) On June 1st 2007 the TRC wants some of the frequencies allocated to Comet to be released. What is the status of this.

We believe that the TRC wants the frequencies released to implement Wimax services in colombo and the suburbs. Has Comet been allocated alternative frequencies?

3) Sir, were there plans to start a satellite DTH service in partnership with Srilakvahini whose holding company is Futuresat or any other company?

Comet has been promising to go digital for the last few years and every year in the beginning they say that it will take place at the middle of the year and then change that to the end of the year when the middle of the year comes.

In the new look website the digitisation plans have not even been mentioned (this was available for some time in the old website).

4) Does this mean that the plans have been dropped?
If not then when is Comet definitely going digital. An exact time period is
appreciated?

Customers are in doubt whether services will continue or not after June due to the TRC deadline and we hear that many have moved over to competitors. We have noticed that overselves since many houses that we have seen which were having Comet antenna's have now got other connections.

5) Some customers are complaining of a drop in signal quality even without obstructions coming up. Has Comet reduced it's broadcasting power? We wish to state that we are unable to verify this claim that has been made.

6) What assurance can you give to your customers regarding the future of Comet or do they have to start looking for an alternative?

7) Will Comet be broadcasting the ICC World Cup Live? Dialog TV is said to have obtained exclusive rights for this event on the pay television platform.

Give customers the true picture please

2007-02-26T14:02:00.000+05:30

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......

2007-02-15T14:24:00.000+05:30

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.

Fashion Tv switches to NDTV
NDTV switches to Al Jazeera
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

2007-02-12T14:02:00.000+05:30

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

2007-02-06T12:03:00.000+05:30

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.

Comet Cable has to get its act together

2007-01-23T09:59:00.000+05:30

Comet Cable the pioneer pay television network in Sri Lanka has to get its act together and face the competition that it will encounter as this year progresses. With LBN and CBNsat back on air and SLT also due to launch it's IPTV network it seems that the present strategy will not work. It is only a matter of time till loyal Comet Cable customers who see the expansion on other pay television networks will be drawn towards them in order to get quality entertainment.

If that happens it will be the end of Comet Cable as we know it.

Therefore the only option left for Comet is to go digital within a few months and then to sell operations to another firm that is keen in running a pay television operation.

Hopefully the management of Comet Cable will take a decision after taking into consideration their loyal customers and staff. The infighting with in Comet Cable has had serious repercussions on the operations of the company and their strategy to convert into digital which has been anticipated for the past five years.

Struggling for Survival

2007-01-09T09:09:00.000+05:30

In the recently revamped Comet Cable website their Digital Plans which were included under the "Whats New" section in their old website is not their anymore.

We wonder whether this means that Comet Cable has shelved plans for the roll out of their digital network and is waiting till some other organization acquires their operations.

It is really sad to see the country's pioneer pay television provider just dragging it's feet and struggling for survival. It is better for them to digitize transmission technology soon since the full scale relaunch of CBNsat and LBN is around the corner and also the launch of SLT's IPTV network will take place later during the year so unless they get their act together this may just spell the end of Comet Cable.

On Media Ministry Announcement

2007-01-04T10:18:00.000+05:30

A reply to another blogs concern on whether the Media Ministry announcement recently is a threat to the probable transfer of ownership of Comet Cable.

Refer Link "On Media Ministry Announcement"

2006 : A Year in Review - Comet Cable

2006-12-29T12:00:00.000+05:30

The year 2006 has been a pretty ordinary year for the subscribers of Comet Cable. Even though they have not experienced any new significant addition of channels or technology they will be happy that they were not affected by the crisis that hit the cable television industry. The only major change that we can identify is the change in the layout of their website which took place recently.

Well at least for now they seem to be going as usual expect for the fact that this company is having a series of management and financial problems. In addition to a court case with the TRC regarding the allocation of frequencies (please refer post below) and the notice of withdrawal of license if they did not pay the due amount to the Southern Development Authority.

In 2007 we hope that Comet Cable the pioneer cable television company will be able to update their technology to digital since they will have massive competition from pay television companies such as CBNsat under Dialog Telekom and also SLT's pay television service in the next year. If the present management lack the funds to do it then they should sell the company to another and let Comet Cable improve.

Well that's all folks for this year since we are taking the weekend and January 1st 2007 off, so we will be back with you from January 2nd 2007. Please keep sending us your valuable emails and also updating this blog with your comments on the latest happenings regarding Comet Cable during the next few days while we are away and also throughout the New Year 2007. For a full review on all the events in the Sri Lankan television and radio media front please read the TV & Radio Sri Lanka Blog post called "2006 : A Year in Review".

We like to take this opportunity to wish all of our fellow Bloggers, the Staff and Management of Comet Cable specially Mr. Harold who was keeping in touch with us earlier but not anymore A Happy, Peaceful and Prosperous New Year 2007

Restraining order on Telecommunications Regulatory Commission - Daily News 28th Dec 2006

2006-12-28T10:16:00.000+05:30

The Colombo District Court yesterday issued an enjoining order restraining the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission until January 9, from preventing Ruhunu 2001 Multivision (Pvt) Ltd using any of the 18 frequencies that it is using presently.

District Judge Aruna C. Ranasinghe issued the enjoining order following the petitioner Ruhunu Multivision (Pvt) Ltd filing a case against the TRC valuing the case at Rs. 500 million.

The petitioner stated that it was functioning a Television Network under the name of Comet Cable which included world famous channels Star TV, Star Plus, Star Sports, ESPN, HBO and National Geographic.

The petitioner stated that it received a letter by the TRC dated December 17, 2004 that requested them to quit using five of their channels since the International Telecommunication Organisation had recommended the 2.4 GHz frequency band for WiFi and data usage. It also promised to give alternative frequencies instead.

The petitioner further stated that the TRC informed them through a letter dated June 30, 2007 to transfer to Digital technology from Analogue technology that they were using since the Analogue technology was not efficient. Although the petitioner mentioned the need for alternative frequencies the respondent did not take proper steps.

The Petitioner also stated that changing the technology from Analogue to the Digital was costly and although they changed the technology TRC did not have the right to prevent petitioner from using its frequencies without giving them alternative frequencies.

Petitioner pleaded the Court to issue a declaration preventing the TRC had no right to prevent the Ruhunu 2001 Multivision (Pvt) Ltd using any of its 18 frequencies from 2.3 GHz to 2.6 GHz without procuring them alternative frequencies.

Sandasen Marasinghe

Our Wishes for the season

2006-12-20T13:11:00.000+05:30

We would like to take this opportunity to Wish the subscribers of Comet Cable, the management of Comet Cable, and all our fellow readers a Very Merry Christmas and we hope that you will be able to enjoy this festive season to the fullest.

We are taking a break of one week (we should be back towards the latter part of next week) in view of the festive season so please update this blog with the latest developments regarding Comet Cable. We are also updating this blog to the latest version of "Blogger", so due to this upgrade their may be some difficulties in commenting, so please bear with us if there are some problems while we are away. We are trying our best to make sure that the switch over will be smooth and with minimum interruptions.

It is disappointing to note that the management of Comet Cable has gone back on its word to convert to digital by the years end and now it seems that Comet Cable will struggle for survival if the license is withdrawn. We hope that the authorities will take into consideration the investment of the customers before taking any action.

Once again we would like to request you to keep updating this blog as the days progress.

Sri Lanka's Comet Cable faces withdrawal of license unless royalty dues are paid up - LBO

2006-12-15T16:08:00.000+05:30

The Southern Development Authority, major shareholder of Comet Cable, has warned it will withdraw the company’s broadcast rights, unless royalties owed since 1997, are paid up.

The Southern Development Authority (SDA) owns the broadcast license for Ruhuna 2001 Multivision (Pvt) Limited, used to provide pay television service Comet Cable in Sri Lanka.

The SDA is also a 50 percent shareholder in Multivision, with the balance held by Australian company Charmway International, which manages the company.

The authority says it has not received royalty dues from its foreign partners for use of the license, as agreed in a joint venture agreement signed in 1997. The royalties were to be used to develop the south of the island.

"Charmway International has been given one month’s notice to pay 12 million dollars in due investment, allocate funds for the proposed ‘Ruhuna 2001 studios’ company and pay 65 million rupees in estimated royalties to SDA or undergo cancellation of the agreement," Ruwan Kasiwaththa, Director policy planning SDA told LBO.

"After completing all the legalities, we can withdraw the broadcasting license." Kasiwaththa says Charmway has also not provided the SDA with detailed accounts for many years.

"They provided accounts for 2003. The accounts for that year forecasts 65 million rupees in royalties up to 2005."

The SDA says Multivision has paid only seven million rupees in royalties to date and claim that they have little say in how the company is run due to only one slot on the board of directors.

"Accordingly, the SDA has demanded payment and Multivision has continuously failed to make any payments," the authority said in a public notice on Friday.

The public notice also restrained the sale, mortgage, transfer or alienation of assets of the pay television company, until all overdue amounts are settled.

"Under these circumstances, the SDA has demanded the assets of Multivision should not be sold, transferred, mortgaged or alienated by its directors or the management until the aforesaid royalty fees is recovered by the SDA."

Officials from Multivision were not available for comment.

Comet Cable has an 18,000 strong customer base and is one of the oldest pay television companies in Sri Lanka with 18 paid channels ranging from movies, sports, fashion to music.

The service is currently available only in the capital Colombo and suburbs.

December 15 (LBO)

The Notice

2006-12-15T14:51:00.000+05:30

Transfer of Comet Cable shares stopped

2006-12-15T11:30:00.000+05:30

We are getting reports of an advertisement on Page 37 of today's Daily News stating that the transfer of the shares of Comet Cable has been halted by the Southern Development Authority because the license used by Comet Cable belongs to them.

We are not sure to which party the transfer of shares was to take place. However Comet Cable which is already troubled due to their outdated technology as well as a sure increase in competition from soon to be launched cable television providers owned by Dialog (CBNsat) as well as Sri Lanka Telecoms cable television and the others that may be on the cards.

We hope that Comet Cable will be improved soon since it is a shame to see the pioneer cable television company in Sri Lanka going through all these troubles.

Comet Cable to be taken over by Srilakvahini

2006-12-07T15:51:00.000+05:30

We are receiving unconfirmed reports that Comet Cable is to be taken over by Futuresat the company that operates Srilakvahini. It was reported in the TV Radio Sri Lanka blog under the blog post "Management Crisis at Srilakvahini" that at the moment there is a tussle going on within the management of Futuresat. We are not sure how this will become a reality amidst that tussle.

According to information that are receiving it seems that the digital transmissions will commence in January. It also seems that the digital box can be reserved. However we repeat this is not a confirmed report.

Well at least lets hope that this is true otherwise Comet will get smashed up by the competition.

Some Comet Cable Customers planning move

2006-12-06T15:29:00.000+05:30

We are receiving a couple of interesting emails and comments by some Comet Cable customers saying that they are awaiting the relaunch of CBNsat under Dialog Telekom in order to move to CBNsat. This is mainly due to the fact that the digital launch of Comet Cable is being dragged on indefinitely and they promised to launch the digital transmissions by the end of this year but nothing is happening still.

An email that we sent to Comet Cable a few weeks ago has not been replied to either. If Comet does not get their act together it may spell the end for the pioneering cable television company in Sri Lanka because they will face intense competition from the likes of CBNsat and the upcoming cable television companies.

Comet Cable 8th Anniversary

2006-11-17T10:09:00.000+05:30

Well it seems that Comet Cable is celebrating 8 years of service this month. Well that is a great achievement since they are the pioneering Cable tv provider in Sri Lanka.

Comet has done a great job entertaining the public but it would be nice to see Comet upgrading it's technology.

We were told previously that Comet will be launching their digital transmissions by the end of this year. We did send an email to Comet a few weeks ago and have not received a reply as yet.

Has the digital upgrade being postponed again? Well we hope not and we hope that Comet will reply with a clear indication of exactly when this illusive digitalization is expected.

Anyway Happy Anniversary to Comet Cable and all the best for the years ahead.

FILEnetworks – TV & Radio Sri Lanka form partnership

2006-11-01T09:54:00.000+05:30

We are very happy to announce that TV Radio Sri Lanka Group of Blogs and the FILEnetworks blog have formed a partnership in order to bring you the latest news and updates on TV-Radio industry and software related issues.

FILEnetworks will be bringing you the latest cracks and hacks that are available in the market place.

TV Radio Sri Lanka Group of Blogs consisting of TV Radio Sri Lanka Blog, CBNsat Blog, LBN Cable TV blog, Comet Cable Blog will be bringing you the latest in TV & Radio industry in Sri Lanka.

We hope to pass the benefits of this partnership down to our fellow bloggers.

Drop of FTV..... a reply from Comet Cable

2006-09-28T15:06:00.000+05:30

We sent Comet Cable an email inquiring about the drop of Fashion Tv. We expressed the fact that many customers were unhappy with the change and here is the reply given to us by Mr. Harold Perera, Head of Advertising.

Please be good enough to publish the following in your valuable Comet Cable Forum

As we strive to give our customers the best in entertainment, we were looking at the possibility of introducing new channels to our line up.

So far, we have tested 2 channels namely NDTV & Nick. The feedback we have received is fabulous. We will be testing 2 more channels within the next few weeks and with the feedback from the 2 new channels we will decide which channel will be on air. After all it is our valued customers who will have the final say. We take this opportunity to infor our dear customers to bear with us for a short while more as we will give them and their families the best in home entertainment.

Thank You

Fashion TV drop angers many

2006-09-22T10:36:00.000+05:30

Hmm.. Interesting. The drop of the Fashion Tv channel from its line up has angered many of its customers. Some are even threatening to disconnect and ask for a refund. CBNsat was accused by the Media Ministry for telecasting Fashion Tv and calling it unsuitable for Sri Lankan culture. Comet Cable which continued showing Ftv even after that have now replaced it using NDTV.

Did the drop of Fashion Tv have anything to do with the Media Ministry or were there other reasons for this.

Over to Comet Management for some explanation.

NDTV 24*7 on Comet Cable

2006-09-20T16:31:00.000+05:30

The Indian english news channel NDTV 24*7 has been launched on Comet Cable as a replacement for Fashion Tv. This would mean that Fashion Tv has got the boot from Comet Cable. This is not a channel that people will miss much though.

We hear that Comet was testing NDTV and Nick before replacing Fashion Tv. If that is so then is Nick available on Comet Cable? Is Nick being telecast for 24 hrs or being interchanged with another channel.

Comet Cable drops Fashion TV?

2006-09-15T14:05:00.000+05:30

Is Comet Cable still broadcasting Fashion Tv. Information coming to us suggests that they have dropped Fashion Tv from their line up.

If so, then we like to know what is the channel that has replaced FTV?

Notice to all Comet Subscribers

2006-09-05T11:29:00.000+05:30

We received the below as an attachment from Mr. Harold Perera, Head of Advertising at Comet Cable asking us to post it on the blog. This is supposed to have appeared with the Comet Cable September Programme Guide and we got this by email probably in response to the question that we raised about a price hike in the previous post referring to some statements in their programme guide editorial. They have mentioned the fact that they have maintained the same pricing over all these years and have requested their customers to settle all arrears payments.

NOTICE TO ALL COMET SUBSCRIBERS

Dear Subscriber,

Firstly, the staff and management of Comet Cable wish to extend a sincere “thank you” for being a valuable customer and trust that our service has been a welcome break for you and your family.

As you are aware, Comet Cable has been maintaining the same pricing standards for the past years despite rising inflation and negative environmental factors in the country. We have also provided for you a new and improved program guide, completely free of charge. You will also note that Comet Cable provides you with a completely free after sales service from the time our connection is installed at your home. Therefore, in order to continue with our value additions to you, we wish to request for the following:

Please settle all your dues within a two month period to avoid automatic disconnection.
The following re-connection charges will apply in the event of disconnection due to non payment.

Re-connection charge	Within 15 days	15 – 30 days	30 – 60 days	60 – 70 days
Re-connection charge	0	Rs. 500.00	Rs. 1000.00	Rs. 1500.00

Please note that after of disconnection, we will assume that you no longer require the connection and hence a letter of Recovery will be raised.
After the Letter of Recovery has been issued if a customer requires re-connecting, all outstanding bills need to be settled with a pre-payment of three months rental.

We wish to re-iterate that this process is introduced, merely to sustain our service and pricing standards and hence appreciate your full co-operation as in the past to carry our company forward.

Please contact our Customer Service Hotline on 2557100 if you require any further clarifications.

Look forward to serving you,

Comet Cable Management

Comet Cable to raise prices?

2006-09-04T10:06:00.000+05:30

We are receiving reports that there has been an indication in the Sept 2006 Comet Cable Tv Guide editorial that they will be raising the prices on their package offerings. We have been unable to get a copy of this Cable Guide to check this for ourselves but this is the indication according to reports and comments that we are getting.

Although this does not come as a surprise since this may be due to the rise in operational costs of Comet Cable due to the present ever increasing price hikes taking a grip on Sri Lanka.

We would like our readers who have access to Comet Cable Guides to please confirm that a statement like this actually exists. We would like the management of Comet Cable to provide us with information on whether a price hike is due and if so, by how much the hike wil take place.

Comet Cable Digital Coming Soon says Multivision

2006-08-15T08:57:00.000+05:30

A few days ago we sent an email to Multivision asking them to whether Comet Digital will be a reality or not. We are happy to say that Multivision has assured that Comet Digital will be operational by the end of this year. Given below is a copy of the email sent to us by Multivision.
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Dear TV & Radio Sri Lanka

We are happy to inform you and our customers that we are committed to upgrade our present system to Digital. We are currently at the final planning phase and about to begin the implementation phase . The Comet Digital will be fully operational by the end of this year.

Thank you

Harold Perera

Head of Advertising

Ruhuna 2001 Multivision (Pvt) Ltd.

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We would like to see Comet Cable honouring their word and implementing and launching the Comet Cable Digital service by the end of this year. We would also like to thank Mr. Harold Perera for taking time off his busy schedule and looking into the requests of their customers.

We have posted the email that we send to Comet Cable as a Comment to this post.

Comet Cable Digital : The Wish

2006-08-04T16:42:00.000+05:30

Well Comet Cable has been planning to go Digital for more than two years now. This is basically like one of those stories where they live happily ever after, the exception being that they are going digital forever.

Is the present management at Comet Cable not interested in upgrading to digital. Comet Cable is the pioneer cable tv company in sri lanka but it is in danger of loosing out to up and coming operators. There has been no impact made on the cable tv industry by the first player to the market.

We think the customers of Comet Cable have a right to know what is happening to the planned upgrade as well as the customers who have already been sold connection claiming that the digital service will be offered soon. Over to the management of Comet Cable.

How soon is soon?

Extension of Deadline for Cable TV Licenses

2006-07-21T13:49:00.000+05:30

The deadline for Cable TV Licenses has been extended, please refer the following link for a detailed report.

Refer Link Extension of Deadline for Cable TV Licenses

Comet Cable Replies.........

2006-07-17T13:11:00.000+05:30

Date:	Mon, 17 Jul 2006 12:46:11 +0600
From:	@multivision.lk
To:	tvradiosrilanka@yahoo.com
Subject:	Comet Cable

Dear TV Radio Sri Lanka

First of all we would like to thank you for a job well done on airing views of Cable TV viewers.

We wish to categorically state that we do not edit or censor any film or programme. Unless, there is a censorship imposed by the government for any news item on news channels.

Also, we would like to state that we use our logo in important programmes to prevent any unauthorized recordings of programmes and piracy.

We regret any inconvenience caused to viewers.

Head of Advertising

Ruhuna 2001 Multivision (Pvt) Ltd.

21 Anderson Road

Colombo 5.

Telephone 2557100
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We received the above letter from Comet Cable, we can confirm that it is from Comet Cable since we received it from an email address saying xxxxx@multivision.lk.

We sent them a reply to the email which is posted as the first comment under this entry.

Letter to Comet Cable

2006-07-12T15:39:00.000+05:30

Since we are receiving complaints from our fellow bloggers, we have sent an email to Comet Cable requesting them to resolve the issue of large logo. Given below is a copt of the mail, it was sent to "service@ multivision.lk".

To the Customer Care Manager

Dear Sir/Madam

I would like to inform you that we are receiving several complaints from your Customers regarding the size of the logo that you have displayed on Comet Cable transmission.

Please take steps to rectify the matter

For Customer views please read the following website

http://cometcable.blogspot.com/

Regards

Admin

Please post as a comment whether there is any other email address that we should send this email to. In addition we would request the customers of Comet Cable also to request them to solve the logo problem.

Remove Comet Logo from the Screen

2006-07-04T09:50:00.000+05:30

We are getting complains from Comet Viewers that the Comet Logo on screen is too large. In fact there is no need for the logo. You are not a regular TV channel. You are cable tv channel and professional cable tv channels do not display their logo on the screen along with the logo of the channel being broadcasted and there are also complains of Comet Cable editing the screen content. Please stop carrying out these practices since they are unethical.

Please give heed to customer requests and introduce your much awaited digital transmission since some of your sales people have mislead the public into purchasing your connections claiming them to be digital.

Over to the management of Comet Cable.

Control of Content available over Cable TV?

2006-06-29T10:52:00.000+05:30

Looks like the channels that we have been enjoying for years is now under danger

Link : Control of Content available over Cable TV?

Comet Cable Customers Have your say

2006-06-26T11:41:00.000+05:30

Since Comet Cable is not having any problem with the recent Cable TV problems in our wonderful Sri Lanka. I would like to invite all the Comet Cable customers to make any posts of any Bad/Good experience you have had with Comet or would like to see any additional channels on or anything more you would like Comet Cable to do.

BBC World Back on Comet Cable?

2006-06-20T09:32:00.000+05:30

Reports are coming in that BBC World is now available on Comet Cable again. Would the viewers of Comet Cable be able to confirm this to us as soon as possible.

Are Multivision subagents legal?

2006-06-14T09:01:00.000+05:30

There are several Cable companies cropping up in several areas calling themselves Multivision authorised companies and they are providing Cable TV connections for about Rs 500/= for a month. In fact there have been several Comet Cable customers complaining that they pay Rs 1200/= and more to get these channels directly from Comet whereas the subagents give all these channels plus more for Rs 500/= per month. Some examples of these sub companies are Delta Cable Vision in Wattala and a Cable TV operator in Negombo, etc. Maybe the reason for the increased cost maybe that Comet Cable provides a wireless service whereas the sub agents are on fixed wire systems.

The authorities must look into the legality of these services and issue appropriate licenses and guide them to obtain the required licenses since their customers too might be inconvienced like these CBNSat csutomers if the Police/CID raids and shuts them down.

Here are the questions that arise when it comes to the Multivision subagents

Does Multivision have the authority from its content providers to distribute its content on the Fixed Wire Cable via sub agents as well as the Wireless Platform.
Are the subagents granted approval by the TRC, etc
Do the subagents have the authority to distribute local channels

This post is not intended to bring trouble on Multivision or sub agents like Delta Cable Vision but it is intended to make sure the authorities check these operations out and grant neccessary approval, if they do not have the approval.

Comet Cable Channels

2006-06-08T14:32:00.000+05:30

HBO - far east signal
STAR MOVIES - far east sgnal
CARTOON NETWORK/NICKOLODEAN
STAR SPORTS India
TEN SPORTS - INDIA/PAKISTAN
CINEMAX
BBC
AXN - far east signal
ESPN
DISCOVERY
STAR PLUS
MTV INDIA
STAR WORLD
HALLMARK
FASHION TV
VH 1
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
ANIMAL PLANET

Comet Cable Forum

2006-06-08T13:50:00.000+05:30

Due to increasing demand we are adding a new Forum called the Comet Cable Forum. All customers of Comet Cable are welcome to make your opinions heard on this forum. In addition they are welcome to congratulate Comet Cable and also scold them if they wish.

Firstly I would like a customer to post what are the channels Comet Cable carries since the web site does not give a clear picture.

The management of Comet Cable are also welcome to have their voice heard.