TV streaming on OTT platforms demanded
OTT providers told TBS that total viewing hours were cut in half due to no TV streaming, which severely impacted their business
The Bangladesh Mobile Phone Consumers Association has written to the Information and Broadcasting Adviser Md Nahid Islam, demanding the resumption of live TV streaming on the OTT (over-the-top) platforms.
The association alleged that using their political influence, a syndicate involving the direct-to-home (DTH) service provider Akash and cable connection providers have forced live TV feed providers to cut off service to OTT platforms since April this year. This unfair action, they claimed, negatively impacted approximately 35 million OTT users in the country.
Akash is a subsidiary of Beximco Group, where Salman F Rahman, an adviser to ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, serves as vice chairman. The company has held a monopoly in the DTH business in Bangladesh.
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"The restriction on internet freedom imposed by the Akash-cable syndicate is equivalent to a violation of human rights," the association said in their letter.
OTT providers told TBS that total viewing hours were cut in half due to no TV streaming, which severely impacted their business. An increasing number of internet users love to watch live sports, news, and other TV programmes on OTT platforms from their smartphones.
At a meeting with the delegation of the mobile phone consumers' association, top officials of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) said the regulator did not make the decision to halt live TV streaming and emphasised the need to identify those responsible for that.
Acting BTRC Chairman Aminul Islam assured the delegation of the association, led by its President Mohiuddin Ahmed, of necessary actions.
Bangladesh's OTT industry has registered fast growth as the user base grew by more than three times in the past four years and the industry's annual turnover now stood at nearly Tk300 crore. There are projections that by 2027 the OTT market size would surpass Tk1000 crore.
Toffee, Hoichoi, Rabithole, Chorki, Bongo, and Deepto Play are the most popular OTT apps in the country in terms of monthly active users, according to industry insiders.
