New Delhi: Multi-system operator (MSO) Hathway Cable & Datacom has been asked by the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) to pay Rs 37.5 crore as subscription fee dues to content aggregator MediaPro.
The MSO has been directed to pay the dues in two tranches, the first payout of Rs 17.5 crore) to be made before March 31, and the balance of Rs 20 crore by April 10. Hathway and MediaPro have been engaged in a bitter tussle over subscription fee dues.
MediaPro had maintained that the MSO owed Rs 49 crore (Rs 490 million) in dues, but said it owed only Rs 25 crore to the content aggregator. MediaPro issued disconnection notices to Hathway when they did not agree on the outstanding dues over a period of three months.
Following the disconnection notice, the MSO had moved the TDSAT and filed eight separate petitions seeking relief from the disconnection threat of MediaPro.
TDSAT had on February 21 directed Hathway to pay Rs 16 crore as outstanding dues to MediaPro by February 28. The tribunal had also asked MediaPro not to implement the disconnection notice. The two parties were asked to reconcile accounts by March 7. Hathway was asked to submit the monthly subscriber line report to MediaPro by March 15.
The tribunal said that Hathway will have to make the balance payment on the basis of the reconciliation of accounts either in one or two instalments by March 31. The two parties agreed on Rs 37.5 crore following the reconciliation of accounts.
