The Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV (TACTV) Corporation Limited, a State government-owned cable television distribution network, had faced criticism recently for allegedly “blocking” the telecast of Puthiya Thalaimurai, a Tamil news channel, on its network. Such measures to curb the TV news channels had been taken by different regimes in the past as well.
Against this backdrop, it would be worthwhile to examine the long and complex history of the State’s foray into cable television broadcasting. When the cable TV boom happened in the 1990s, post-globalisation, the Multi-System Operator (MSO) business was dominated by businessmen with political backing, whose fortunes swung depending on which party was in power.
The idea of bringing order to Tamil Nadu’s cable television sector first took shape during the 2001-2006 AIADMK regime. In May 2002, the Assembly passed the Tamil Nadu Exhibition Television Screen through Multi-System Operations, Video Cassette Recorder and Cable Television Network (Regulation) Bill. Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had then pointed out there was no effective regulatory mechanism, leading to
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