The telecast and no telecast of the World Cup

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

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.......

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

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.

Comet Cable has to get its act together

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Transfer of Comet Cable shares stopped

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

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

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

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

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.