What the Tata Play-Sony fallout signals for linear TV’s future

New Delhi: "Is SAB TV coming on your Tata Play?" asked one of my relatives last week. To my surprise, it was not.

Knowing there was an ongoing dispute between the DTH provider and the broadcaster, I attempted to pacify her by saying it would be resolved soon. In the meantime, she would have to give a missed call to the number displayed on the screen.

“I’m not going to give a missed call to add all the missing channels. It’s such a task,” she quipped, adding that it would inflate her monthly bill.

This sentiment was echoed by several subscribers on the social media platforms after Tata Play removed all Sony channels from its bouquets without warning, reportedly on May 20. Viewers who had paid for their packs woke up to missing channels, with no SMS, app alert, or email from the platform.

This is not the first fallout between Tata Play and Sony Pictures Networks India. 

Seven years ago, BestMediaInfo.com raised a red flag when Tata Sky (now Tata Play) dropped several channels from SPNI and India Today Group, leaving countless long-term subscribers stranded.

When questioned how such a move was allowed, the infamous reply from then TRAI Chairman R.S. Sharma was, “Go to hell.” A telling phrase that perhaps best summed up the regulator’s attitude toward consumer welfare.

The ongoing conflict is reportedly the third since then.

Rather than managing the fallout with the broadcaster, Tata Play again shifted the burden to subscribers. Call centres and app notifications advised users to manually re-add the Sony channels on an à la carte basis, at an extra cost, despite having already subscribed to packs that included Sony.

The platform tried to pacify subscribers by reducing bouquet prices by Rs 30–55. But to get the same number of Sony channels back, users must spend above Rs 85 on an à la carte basis. In plain terms, the customer loses either way.

A draconian grip on content

Tata Play’s strong-arm tactics have led to a system where viewers, despite paying in advance, are forced to spend more to retain what they already have. No matter how the company tries to justify it, consumers can smell the shift. What once felt premium now feels petty. What once promised ease now delivers chaos.

No safety net for the consumer

Here’s the real failure: there is no consumer safeguard mechanism when broadcasters and platforms fall out. Negotiations drag on in boardrooms and courts while homes lose access to paid content with zero support or resolution.

In a fair system, the consumer would be shielded from the fallout. But the Indian TV distribution ecosystem has created a structure where the viewer is treated as collateral damage in every corporate standoff.

For an industry struggling to stay relevant in a digital-first world, this approach is further counterproductive.

Tata Play has long positioned itself as customer-first. But when it mattered most, it expected its customers to adjust, without warning or compensation, amidst a commercial dispute.

Several industry veterans are now questioning whether it is unbecoming of a market leader to treat millions of subscribers like switchable data points. They precisely ask: Is it okay to let boardroom wars spill into living rooms?

Brand hit beyond recovery?

Once a beacon of reliability, Tata Play now faces accusations of neglect and mismanagement.

This isn’t just noise. It’s a signal. The brand carries the Tata name, a legacy built over decades, one that stands for integrity, clarity, and long-term thinking. What customers saw here was none of that.

Instead of shielding them, Tata Play passed on the burden. In brand playbooks, this would be filed under: “How to lose a loyal consumer.”

DTH customers are already looking elsewhere

Every missed episode, every unresolved query, and every failed call centre script pushes the viewer further away from linear TV.

DTH subscribers are not passive. They are informed and hyper-connected. They are tech-savvy. They have options.

Incidents like this don’t just trigger temporary backlash; they accelerate permanent migration. A missed episode today is a cancelled subscription tomorrow.

In a country where OTT offers convenience, flexibility, and direct access, Tata Play has served its competition the perfect pitch.

And what follows may not just affect Tata Play; it may drag the entire category down with it.

The final blow to linear TV?

In any service business, abrupt changes without notice are a red flag. But when the market leader in DTH does it, the consequences are multiplied, not just for its brand, but also for the entire linear TV category.

Tata Play may win its negotiation with Sony. It may even recover short-term financial ground. But at what cost?

The long-term erosion of trust. The silent migration to OTT. These may be irreversible. Because in the battle between price and trust, viewers are choosing neither. They’re choosing to leave.