KARACHI, May 25: The Dubai-based Pay-TV card providers extract major chunk of the revenue through licensed and unlicensed cable operators in the country.

The pay-cards could be availed at the rates ranging from Rs12,000 to Rs50,000 depending on the requirement of the client for the number of channels and usage for 3, 6 or 12 months.

The pay-card providers also charge a fee ranging Rs30 to Rs300 per client from the licensed cable TV operators who had further extended channels to end viewers.

According to the studies conducted by Pakistan Electronic Media Regularity Authority (Pemra), the Dubai Marines Establishment were charging Rs90 per subscriber, Leo (HBO) charged Rs 30 and Tensports used to charge Rs 40 per subscriber, other than their initial cost of the card from the cable television operators in Pakistan.

The survey of Pemra in Karachi also revealed that the Dubai-based card providers have also hired the services of a firm which would monitor piracy or illegal use of the cards on commercial basis by the local cable operators.

“Even the firm used to conduct raids on cable operators without having any rights or authority,” said a Pemra official.

He said that when the firm was summoned by a court of law, it failed to prove its legal standing as an authority or a registered firm to conduct raids against copy rights violation.

The Pemra has the statuary mandate to regulate the broadcasting, re-broadcasting including the cable TV operation in Pakistan. Pemra officials said that individual or firm or department could raid or inspect the cable TV stations after informing Pemra.

Referring to cable operators, the Pemra officials said that the alleged copyright protectors, instead, were making millions of money by blackmailing the cable operators with the help of other pay TV channels card distributors and even pressurise the cable operators to purchase cards at arbitrary rates.

He said this behaviour of card providers forced them to buy cards from forgers.—APP