Following months of inactivity after Chennai gained the dubious distinction of being the ONLY city in the whole country to implement the Conditional Access System from Sep 1, 2003, the Tamilnadu government announced that the State would take over take over all Cable TV networks. This includes the operations of multi-system operators (MSOs) like Hathaway and SCV(Sumangali Cable Vision), which is owned by the Maran family.

I guess we can now look forward to more fights over the remote control if other family members seek to view more interesting programmes and not just weepy soaps.

I, for one, am eagerly awaiting the day when I can get to see all channels for a nominal amount, as in the pre-CAS days without forking out more than Rs.250 per month in addition to purchasing a set-top box.

Curiously, the DMK chief has, in a statement welcomed the move. Surely, there is more to this than meets the eye ?