Deadline for cable TV digitisation in 4 metros ends today

The deadline for cable operators to switch to digital TV ends on Wednesday in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. What it essentially means is that if you don't have a set top box, then you can't watch TV starting Wednesday.

This is the first of the three-stage process where cable TVs across the country must migrate to digital signals to be distributed through set top boxes. Official data released by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry on Tuesday suggests that Mumbai is the only Metro to have achieved 100 per cent digitisation followed by Delhi and Kolkata.

Chennai is still lagging behind with just 61 per cent. The government has been carrying out an extensive public awareness programme as carrying analog signals in the four metros will be illegal from Thursday, November 1.